Top Selling Gadgets In Nigeria This Season

A little over a decade ago, land phones and mobiles (or nought-nine-nought) were exclusive to the top class of Nigeria’s society. Put simply, the presence of a landline in a household represented affluence and cellphones were the private jets of this age. But with the advent of GSM technology in 2001, mobile telephony gradually became easily accessible, even to people living in the remotest part of Nigeria.

Between 2009 – 2010, the smartphone trend, which was also exclusive to a certain class of the country’s over 170 million population, surfaced. However, when Chinese phone maker Tecno ventured into the Nigerian market it presented a opportunity for Nigeria’s fast-rising middle class to access services available on smartphones. Other phone makers, i.e. Solo Phone, soon followed suit, providing cheap, yet standard services on affordable smartphonesto all who move with the trend of new gadgets in the country’s increasingly demanding and tech-savvy population.

In 2013, the “gadget boom” continued with the launch of a series of eye-catching phones, tablets, and gadgets and stiff competition for market share between major phone makers, i.e. Samsung, Apple, Tecno and Blackberry (Yes, Blackberry still accounts for a significant percentage of the market share in Nigeria), while mobile penetration experienced a surge across the Africa. Thus, consumers have benefited from innovative competition between phone makers, with citizens now afforded the luxury to select from a wider range of products.

During this festive season, our team scanned through the retail markets to spot a few of the top selling devices

source: www.ventures-africa.com

best gadgets for christmas

Gadgets have become the gift of choice for many people, and in 2013 this trend is likely to continue. Sony, Apple, and Google have all launched new gadgets ahead of the Christmas season.

Major retailers in South Africa are already trying to lure consumers to their stores with special offers on TVs, tablets, smartphones and other gadgets.

Online shopping platforms are also gearing up for Christmas season with a wide range of gadgets and technology goods.

Here are some of the gadgets which are likely to put a smile on the face of most people who receive them as presents.

source:www. mybroadband.co

Google books offers huge discounts on meldela's auto/biographies

You  just have to look around the internet to see just how big an impact the passing of Nelson Mandela made on the world. For only the second time in its history Apple has changed its home page to memorialise someone, the first time was for its founder Steve Jobs. The former head of state is one of the most revered individuals in world history, certainly in South African history and as such we think that learning more about the man who helped shape our future is the duty of every South African.

Good thing then that Google Play is having a sale on a bunch of Mandela related biographies and his famous biography, ‘A Long Walk to Freedom’. The Google Play team even managed to pen a small missive on the great man which shows the impact his life has had throughout the world.

It is not enough to say that Nelson Mandela embodied the spirit of democracy: he is in fact an architect of freedom. He lived and suffered fearlessly for peace, for justice, and for equality, and his impact on individuals and nations is more intimate and expansive than any political leader of our time. We pause today to honour his life and share with you his remarkable legacy.

source: www.htxt.co 

iPad air contract prices in South Africa

The new iPad Air from Apple recently went on sale in South Africa, available through a number of retail chains, First National Bank (FNB), and Vodacom.

A Wi-Fi only iPad Air can be had from R5,999 (16GB) and a model with 3G/LTE support starts at R7,799 (16GB). A number of contract options were also available at launch.

Vodacom lists contracts on its 1GB, 2GB, and 3GB mobile data packages for the 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB iPad Air models.

iStore has also advertised that it is selling iPads on Vodacom contracts that are priced similarly to the deals on the mobile network’s website.

One deal not listed on the Vodacom website that is on offer at iStore is for a 16 GB Wi-Fi only iPad Air on Vodacom MyGig1 for R379/month.

There are also discounts on offer from iStore if you trade in your old iPad, with a reduction of at least R100/month promised on a functional, undamaged iPad 2.

Third and fourth generation iPads (iPad 3 & 4) may also be traded in, iStore said.

FNB cheque and private bank account holders are also able to buy iPads on monthly repayment plans, but without a cellular contract.

At the time of writing the bank bundled a cover, screen guard, and R100 iStore voucher with any iPad bought on its smart device promotion for clients.

source: www.mybroadband.co

U.S smartphone buyers moving upscale while others goes cheap

Smartphone prices are falling in every region of the world except North America, as U.S. consumers buy ever more sophisticated handsets.

Market research firm IDC forecast Tuesday that smartphone prices worldwide will fall at a compound annual rate of 7.3% over the next five years. But in North America, it sees average selling prices for smartphones increasing 2.1%. It's the only region where prices are expected to rise, IDC says.

Smartphone prices in the U.S. and Canada are already the most expensive in the world, with an average selling price of $531 this year. But IDC sees that creeping up to $567 by 2017 as consumers upgrade to phones with bigger displays and 4G LTE wireless capabilities. Premium phones from Apple, Samsung and others are seen driving this trend.

We're a market that's moving away from entry-level smartphones and toward higher-end smartphones," IDC analyst Ramon Llamas told IBD. "We're moving more toward LTE, and LTE smartphones usually command a higher price tag than 3G phones. On top of that, you're seeing phones getting bigger and bigger (displays)."

Apple's latest flagship handset, the iPhone 5S, without a wireless service contract, costs $649, $749 and $849 for models with 16, 32 and 64 gigabytes of flash memory.

In the rest of the world, smartphone average selling prices are seen falling rapidly as handset makers produce lower-cost devices for poorer customers. These devices typically use Google 's  free-to-use Android operating system.

Average selling prices for smartphones worldwide, including North America, are seen falling to $265 in 2017 from $337 this year.

In the Asia-Pacific region, prices are forecast to drop 8.9% to $215 over the next five years. In Europe, smartphone prices are seen falling 9% to $259 during that period. In Latin America, smartphone prices are expected to dip 5.7% to $246. And in the Middle East and Africa, smartphone prices are forecast to decline 7.3% to $230 by 2017, IDC says.

Meanwhile, worldwide smartphone unit shipments are seen rising at a compound annual growth rate of 18.4% from this year to 2017, IDC says. The research firm expects smartphone shipments to surpass 1 billion units in 2013, up 39.3% over last year, and approach 1.7 billion units in 2013.

source: news.investors.com