FortySouth

As I previously alluded, cell phone tracking seems like a great idea and that the approach taken by East African Data Handlers (EADH) with its Ujanja service needs more meat on the bones, more value for the package like providing remote data retrieval, for instance.

Turns out India-based Maverick Mobile launched Secure Mobile last Fall providing all that Ujanja has to offer and then some.

With Ujanja, once the SIM is replaced on a stolen phone, a text is sent to the preferred number(s) allowing you, the owner, to bug/irritate/aggravate the brazen thug ad nauseum. That’s pretty much as far as the comparison goes. MSM lets you do that too, but also encrypts the stored data – phonebook, images, messages – on a SIM change.

You can retrieve contacts in the phonebook and the crook’s phone log, then have them sent to the preferred number(s) via SMS. After you’ve got your data off the gizmo, you can remotely set off a siren on the phone, which by the way can only be turned off by taking out the battery, only for you to set it off again . To boot, you can also send a short code sequence that hangs the phone rendering it inoperable.

CEO Sujit Jain at DEMO ’08:

At the very least, Ujanja needs to provide remote file retrieval because the content is perhaps more critical to (most) users than the actual phone.

Shortly after the launch of Google Mapmaker, users were given the ability to edit maps by adding roads and other markers previously uncharted, to Google Maps. And now, thanks to the awesomeness of crowdsourcing, you can use this user-generated content to get directions too.

Using the mashup, I got really simple directions from *K-Street to Kenyatta Hospital in Nairobi (and no, I’m not suggesting anything here; correlation does not imply causation )

This feature is really great because not many cities outside of North America and most of Europe are that well mapped. In many African countries, directions are given mostly based on landmarks, like a nearby building. Those proclivities will always remain and do have their place so I think this feature will serve as a great supplement. What’s more, with a 3G-enabled mobile phone, driving around could get a lot easier!

Head over to Google Mapmaker and help map your city.

*In the interest of “teh balance”, Koinange Street is Nairobi’s Red-Light District.

So it’s now official – the Kenyan Government will indeed push for the repealing of contentious sections contained in the Kenya Communications Act 1998, most notably a number of clauses in Section 88.

So what are they looking to amend?

1. Deletion of Section 88, which gives the Internal Security Minister authority to “take temporary possession of any telecommunication apparatus or any radio communication station or apparatus within Kenya”
2. Establishment of a Broadcasting Service Advisory Board which will deal with issues of content and registration of the stations
3. Expand the Appeals Tribunal, established under Section 102, from five to seven members to allow for the appointment of two other people in consultation with the media industry stakeholders

On the Media Act 2007, the government agreed to fund the Media Council, the Board constituted by the Act for regulation of the media. (The Kenya Communications Amendment Bill passed in December 2008 has erroneously been referred to as the Media Bill even by though we had a Media Bill in 2007, now it’s an Act of Parliament).

Once Parliament reconvenes, the AG says that the motion will be tabled. The amendment when presented will likely, pass with little or no filibustering.

This is a first step, hopefully the political will doesn’t peter out.