Author: Francis Muli

Apple has released financial data for the first quarter of fiscal 2022, which ended on December 25, 2021. The company set an all-time revenue record of $123.9 billion, up 11% year over year, and earned $2.10 per diluted share in the fourth quarter. “The very strong customer response to our recent launch of new products and services drove double-digit growth in revenue and earnings, and helped set an all-time high for our installed base of active devices,” said Luca Maestri, Apple’s CFO. According to a report released by Counterpoint Research, Apple had its “highest ever” market share in China in…

Meta had announced that default end-to-end encryption was coming to Messenger by 2023. The feature has been fully rolled out to group chats and calls in Messenger. In addition, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has announced security features that will be applied to disappearing messages. In a post on Facebook, the CEO said that users would now be alerted if the other contact took a screenshot of disappearing messages. “New update for end-to-end encrypted Messenger chats so you get a notification if someone screenshots a disappearing message. We’re also adding GIFs, stickers, and reactions to encrypted chats too.” Zuckerberg said. Read:…

The majority of Kenyans are unaware of the establishment of the Data Protection Commissioners’ office, a 2021 survey conducted by Amnesty International has shown. Data Commissioner Immaculate Kassait said that Kenyans facing a number of issues such as Cyberbullying and identity theft were still unaware of where to report such vices. 67 percent of respondents interviewed in the State of Data Protection Awareness poll by Amnesty International claimed they were unfamiliar with the Data Protection Act while 82 percent were uninformed of the existence of the Data Commissioner’s office. This could be attributed to a lack of competence in the…

YouTube has announced 135 creators who are will take part in the YouTubeBlack Voices Fund which focuses on black creators from around the world. The fund provides creators a year of support including seed funding for channels, development programs, workshops, and networking opportunities. “Black creators have played an important role in shaping the culture on YouTube. From fashion and comedy to politics, learning, and wellness, Black creators have propelled our platform forward,” the company said in the announcement. The creators hailing from Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa comprise individuals from a variety of professional and authentic backgrounds such as lifestyle…

Instagram is rolling out a feature that will allow users to alert followers about upcoming live-streams. Creators will now be able to add a profile banner displaying the upcoming live-streams. Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri confirmed. Once the banner is up, followers will be able to click on it to subscribe to the scheduled live-streams. Users will be able to schedule more than one live-stream session, with the display appearing as a side-scrolling list to allow followers to subscribe to the session they are interested in. Read: Instagram Combines IGTV and Newsfeed Videos to New Format Dubbed Instagram Videos The new…

The United Arab Emirates has lifted the ban on Kenyan flights effective January 29, 2022. The National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Emergency Management Authority (NCEMA) announced on Wednesday that passengers from Tanzania, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Kongo, South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, and Zimbabwe will also be able to travel to the UAE. The administration also issued a set of guidelines for passengers arriving from Uganda, Rwanda, and Ghana. Upon arrival, passengers are required to present a negative Covid-19 rapid test certificate for a test performed within 6 hours of departure from the departure airport. The certificate must also have…

Kenya has partnered with the United Kingdom (UK) to address cyber-security threats that have become rampant since the inception of digital technology. Speaking at a workshop for government communicators at a city hotel, the Principal Secretary (PS) for the State Department for broadcasting and telecommunications Esther Koimett said that the government was moving towards the adoption of provision of services through a digital platform, and as such, there is a need to shield the online systems from threats. Koimett acknowledged the steady rise of cyber threats globally, with Kenya among countries that have been targeted by hackers and cybercriminals. She…

The Teachers Service Commission on Wednesday morning unveiled Kenya’s first-ever live-streamed lessons. The new model will see a single teacher broadcast to multiple students across various schools simultaneously. The initiative aimed at addressing the teacher shortage in the country was launched on Wednesday morning at Alliance Girls High School in Kiambu county. The classes will be live-streamed on the video-conferencing app Zoom starting with Sciences, Mathematics, and English subjects. Read: TSC Announces Automation of Leave Application, Approval Process ”Students from 110 sub-counties from 30 counties will access live-streaming lessons from teachers of top schools in a bid to ease staff…

Many companies and influencers are reportedly losing their Instagram accounts with millions of followers to hackers who are demanding ransom. According to cybersecurity company Secureworks, the vice became more prominent in 2021. The perpetrators begin by sending a message purporting to be from Instagram, informing their target of a suspected copyright infringement. The message contains a link that directs recipients to a hacker-controlled website. The victim is then prompted to input their Instagram login credentials, allowing the attackers complete control over their accounts. “After gaining control of the Instagram account, the threat actors change the password and username. The modified…

Samsung has confirmed its next Galaxy Unpacked event slated for Wednesday, February 9, 2022, at 6 pm Kenyan time. This year, the invitation features a large letter ‘S’ with the words “The Epic Standard,” which means customers can expect the unveiling of the Galaxy S22 series during the virtual event. This is no surprise as Samsung had already hinted that it would debut a new S-series Ultra device in February. Read: Samsung Expected to Unveil Z Fold 3, Galaxy Watches on Aug 11 Previous leaks of the S22 indicate the phone might come with a smaller 6.1-inch display compared to…

The 2022 General elections are just five months away, and the political scene is already heating up with leaders taking their campaigns to the grassroots. Last year, the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties faced a big hurdle after it emerged that a majority of Kenyans had been erroneously registered to various political parties unknowingly. As a result, the Data Protection Commissioner’s office sent out a directive requiring the ORPP to deregister all Kenyans who had been erroneously registered to the political parties. The ORPP launched its services on eCitizen three months ago, effectively giving Kenyans the authority to…

Whatsapp has started rolling out its multi-device capability to all users after a successful test. The feature enables users to access the messaging app from up to four multiple devices even when the primary smartphone is off or offline. “Now send and receive messages without keeping your phone online. Use WhatsApp on up to four linked devices and one phone at the same time.” the messaging services alerted users on the app today. The update confirmed by many users enables WhatsApp users for the first time to use the service on up to four non-phone devices without having the registered…

Former LinkedIn Africa Boss Thogori Chege Karago was last week found dead in her hotel room at Radisson Hotel along Waiyaki Way. Police officers who were called to the scene said they found the 33-year-old lying motionless in her room on the third floor on January 21. The Kilimani police boss Muturi Mbogo said the lady did not have any visible injuries, while preliminary investigations showed that she was suffering from Diabetes. “There are indications she was diabetic, but that is subject to further investigations. For now, we take it to be natural and sudden death,” he said. Officers who…

In the last 24 hours, 170 people have tested positive for Covid-19 from a sample size of 3,659 tested in the last 24 hours. This brings the total number of confirmed positive cases to 320,399 and the cumulative tests conducted so far to 3,189,945. The positivity rate is now 4.7 percent. On a positive note, 556 people have recovered from the disease. Out of these,506 are from the Home-Based Isolation and Care program while 50 are from various health facilities. This brings the total number of recoveries to 291,917. There are currently 721 Covid-19 patients admitted in various health facilities…

TikTok is reportedly working on a feature that will allow users to see who has viewed their profile. The opt-in feature is probably one of the most sought-after for many social media users who are often curious to find out who has viewed their content. The feature was discovered by app researcher Kev Adriano and shared by Matt Navara on Twitter. TikTok is working on a LinkedIn-like Profile Views feature The feature will let you view who visited your TikTok profile in the past 30 days. h/t @adrianokev1 pic.twitter.com/eMnYtgyUq0 — Matt Navarra (@MattNavarra) January 23, 2022 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Read: TikTok Testing…