Archives for September 2011

Amazing Low Cost Computer (Kshs 2,500)

September 9, 2011 by 1 Comment

Remember when we wrote about Raspberry Pi a couple of months back? For those who do not know, the Raspberry Pi is an amazing little device that is actually a fully functioning computer. It is not much larger than a persons finger credit cart and consists of not much more than a processor (CPU), a USB port to connect a keyboard, and a way to connect it to a TV.

The development of this device is at an advanced stage and it should be available for sale in about 2 months. The device itself looks to be very well made and perfect for use in places like Kenya. Because:

  • It is extremely affordable at Kshs 2,500 for a FULL modern computer. Not one of those refurbished things in town.
  • Just for emphasis, this is a full computer system which you can use for Word processing, watching movies, or even playing games.
  • It can be connected to your regular TV. You don’t need to buy a separate screen.
  • It is very mobile – it fits in your pocket and consumes very little power (you can run it using regular AA batteries.

The video below is of these device being used to watch a movie:

I think this device can revolutionise computing in Kenya. Now, personal computers have a chance at being as widely used as mobile phones.

I am going to get myself one, or three of these. Are you going to get one?

Filed Under: Miscellaneous

Refreshing Like Chapaa

September 9, 2011 by 3 Comments

Well, in keeping with our tradition of changing the look and feel of likechapaa.com every year or so, we are very pleased to announce that Like Chapaa now wears a new look.

We think (and hope) that this is better than the old one and that it is easier on the eyes and that it makes it easier for you to get around the site.

What do you think of our new look?

PS: The new look is courtesy of Nickel Pro.

Filed Under: Miscellaneous

The “Safari Cup” – Kenyan StarCraft 2 Tournament

September 7, 2011 by Leave a Comment

This is a follow-up to the recent article on “E-sports“.

Kalongo.com is organising a small StarCraft 2 tournament, the Safari Cup. In their own words:

“We’re very pleased to announce that we shall be hosting our very first StarCraft 2 tournament, the Safari Cup.

We intend for this to be a fun event whose primary goal is to bring Kenyan StarCraft 2 players together in competitive play. Let us not let Kenya be left out of the StarCraft frenzy that is currently sweeping the world – ama aje? Sign up and lets have some fun while gaining some skill & experience.”

So, well, go ahead and sign up.

Filed Under: Internet Culture

The Rise and Rise of “E-sports”

September 7, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Starcraft II

Starcraft II

Video games have come a long way in the last 15 years. No longer is it a pastime of the those locked away in their bedrooms. Now there is a whole world of video gamers playing with friends, and play against others.

Electronic sports, “e-sports“, is used as a general term to describe the play of video games competitively. Nowadays, professional video gaming is quickly becoming a legitimate sport. A few years ago, poker took the limelight, blurring the line between professional gaming and non-athletic sports. Now, Major League Gaming and dozens of other leagues have popped up around competitive games like StarCraft and Halo: Reach.

In the nation of South Korea, StarCraft is literally a national sport and is equally as popular (if not more) as sports like basketball or baseball. StarCraft 2, in particular is currently leading a resurgence of e-sports which tournaments organised online on a daily basis. In fact, the major tournaments attract prizes of up to $50,000 for the winner. That’s Ksh 4.75 MILLION.

Opportunity for our youth
Locally, e-sports is nowhere near the level it is at in more developed countries but the good thing is that there does exist a strong local gaming community and there are efforts to make gaming popular in Kenya led by NexGen and, to a lesser degree Kalongo. This is a good thing and such efforts need to be encouraged for three reasons (among others):

  • Competitive gaming can actually easily become a legitimate source of income for at least some of our country’s unemployed youth. if people are winning Kshs 4.75 million just for playing a game, why can’t Kenyans get in on some of that?
  • People who are busy get up to less mischief. Again, this helps tackle our country’s problem of having a large number of unemployed, essentially idle, young people.
  • It is always good to see Kenyans out there conquering the world and making our country proud!

A couple of years ago, some Kenyan gamers qualified for the WCG (which is like the world cup of competitive gaming). The tournament was to be held in China. Unfortunately, our gamers did not have the funds to travel to China so they approached the government of Kenya through the ministry of sports. Sadly, they were not welcome – “esports” was not recognised as a legitimate sports. This needs to change, fast, lest the great and proud nation of Kenya be left behind.

Opportunity for businesses
Over the last year or so, the number of Kenyan businesses seeking to market themselves online has grown in leaps and bounds. It seems any business that is “serious” needs to be on Facebook or Twitter and it is not uncommon for the big boys to spend lavishly on Google Adwords.

To all the “serious” businesses out there: e-sports represents a massive opportunity to market yourselves online!!

As stated above, e-sports is currently becoming very popular. Very large professional tournaments are beign set up and millions of people are already avid fans of various players and teams. At the very roots of the current resurgence in esports is the Internet. Unlike in the past, e-sports events can now be transmitted “live” to millions worlwide and sites like Youtube make it possible for anyone to be a fan. In fact, popular matches on Youtube are regularly watched by hundreds of thousands of people (see this guy with over 500,000 followers).

Imagine this: what if a nice and lovely Kenyan company sponsored a Kenyan player or Kenyan gaming event on condition that it be publicized massively online? As long as the said Kenyan company chose to work with the right people, this could be a very cost-effective way to reach hundreds of thousands of people online. The best thing is that this would probably be very affordable at the moment due to the idea being so new.

In my mind, businesses in the tourism industry especially need to embrace this unique opportunity as soon as possible. What cheaper way would a tourism firm have of reaching 100,000 potential tourists?

E-sports is here, and it is serious business!

Filed Under: Internet Culture

New. Get Paid To Click! Easy Money!!

September 6, 2011 by 8 Comments

Come on, admit it. You’ve been tempted at leas once to sign up for one of these programs. Sindio? Easy money; just sit at home and click on some ads and BAM! You get paid. It cannot possibly get easier than that. Can it? Really, can it?

How much can one expect to earn? Let’s do the math, shall we?

Let us assume that you get paid $0.001 (which happens to be the usual amount) for every click you make. That is approximately Kshs 0.095 per click. Assuming you can click on one link every 30 seconds (as it happens, you are usually limited to one link every 30 seconds), this translates to about Kshs 11.4 every hour. Assuming that you work for 24 hours every day, for 30 days, that makes it approximately Kshs 8,200 per month.

So, that is Kshs 8,200 per month assuming you work for 24 hours every day for 30 days. Now subtract the cost of electricity, Internet and any other expenses you might have.

Sounds like a waste of time to me. You?

This post was inspired by a thread on SkunkWorks.

Filed Under: Internet Culture, Make Money, Miscellaneous

The Complete Guide To Freemium Business Models

September 5, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Freemium is a business model that works by offering core services or products for free, while charging a premium for advanced or special features.

Go here to learn all about The Freemium business model.

Filed Under: Small Business