Everyone needs LG’s professional quality smartphone cameras

About two years ago, when a busy downtown mall in Nairobi, which houses small stalls known as “exhibitions” in the city’s lingo suffered a massive blast, a curious thing happened.

True, the emergency services, mostly the Red Cross, paramedics and the police, responded, as they are wont to, and were among the first people on the scene. There was also a fair sprinkling of journalists and photojournalists at the scene. But there was also another group that stuck out like a sore thumb: that of ordinary citizens, capturing the incident on their smartphones either in the form of videos or photos.  

It was this army of citizen journalists who intuitively posted the first images from the incident on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and youtube and not your traditional, newsroom-based journalist. They literally “broke” the story. But the army of cyber-reporters who descended on Nairobi’s Moi Avenue on that fateful morning has platoons all over the world. Of the billions of photos taken per day by smartphone owners today, about 1.8 billion end up being shared on social networks, up from 500 million in 2013. 

Veteran Nairobi-based Ugandan journalist Charles Onyango-Obbo, would later remark. “I watched them. They were eating my lunch. And there was absolutely nothing I could do about it.”

With the ascendancy of smartphones in Kenya and as the gadgets become more affordable, a strong culture of citizen journalism is taking root in the country. In this realm, everyone is a journalist and a photo-journalist. No newspaper, TV or radio station today can claim that it breaks stories all the time. That is being effectively done by social media and its growing army of citizen journalists and bloggers. Traditional media outlets have had to be more content with the rather sedate and intellectually high-brow task of analysis and commentary, what is known in the trade as Day Two Journalism.

True, the advent of smartphone-based cameras has kind of “democratized” photography.  Just like the traditional journalists and photojournalists, even this breed of practitioners requires the best tools of the trade, and that includes the best cameras. This is where LG smartphones come in, especially the G4, because they are not only user-friendly, but are engineered to ensure that even lay users get the best, professional quality results. It doesn’t matter whether they are taking a “selfie” or capturing a bomb blast, literally chronicling the first chapters of history.

Boasting a remarkable 16mp camera, G4 makes full use of its detailed display and instinctive operation to help users take professional-quality photographs. Expertly tailored to meet the needs of modern consumers, the user-friendly G4 is the perfect phone for today’s mobile photographers.

For the longest time, mobile cameras have lagged far behind more advanced digital single-lens reflex cameras (DSLRs) in their ability to capture photographs when there is little natural light. The G4’s camera lens boasts an aperture value of F1.8, making it the brightest smartphone lens on the market and capable of going toe-to-toe with lens used by professionals.

Apart from F/1.8 aperture lens, there are a number of other features that help to set the G4 apart from competition. For instance, in manual mode, the photographer can customize the level of white balance, ISO, shutter speed, manual focus and exposure compensation. When placed in the hands of an expert, these features allow the G4 to shoot capture striking images. Manual mode also gives photographers the ability to select RAW or JPEG as the format for their files.

Those features among others make it a joy to use, even for the non-professional mobile photographer, who just wants to capture moments of life for their own use or seeks to share the same with friends and family or even a wider audience. These include the brightest smartphone lens on the market that is at par with what top notch professionals use; a manual mode that gives the user a lot of control; an advanced color spectrum sensor to ensure no color is lost on “translation” and an advanced front-facing camera that efficiently feeds the growing “selfie” sub-culture. 

Support artistic kids, Lupita nudges parents

Lupita Nyong’o, Kenyan Oscar Award Winner for Best Supporting Actress, has urged guardians to be supportive of children with an affinity for arts while attributing her success in the film industry to a distinctive and motivational pattern that fanned her passion.

Lupita shares a moment with students after a mentorship session at KICC

Speaking to students and artists during a session dubbed “Arts in Education” at the KICC; the Hollywood actress said she grew up in a community that fosters creative self expression and around guardians who “validated her dreams.”

“Without their constant and vigilant belief in me, I wouldn’t be where I am…a dream can only be realised when it is validated. First by yourself and then by those around you,” said Lupita. 

The actress frowned upon the fact that “arts education is often dismissed as non-essential” in Kenya and called on parents and teachers to create room for children’s self realisation. 

Reflecting back at the times that made her as an artiste, she credits her teacher, the late Mutegi Njiru, and her debut role as a passerby in the play Oliver Twist at Rusinga Schools as an epochal moment that kicked off her life on stage.

Mutegi Njiru, an English teacher at Rusinga and an ardent thespian would later die in the 1998 bombing of United States Embassy in Nairobi. The following year, Rusinga would introduce the Mutegi Njiru Memorial Shield to recognise students with exemplary contribution in the field of theatrical arts. Lupita Nyong’o was the first to clench the award.

The actress laid emphasis on reinforcing children’s abilities and talents as opposed to imposing careers on students. “Self expression is the most pure part of self; the part that yearns to communicate in a different way,” said Lupita.

On the fringes of mentorship session Patricia Kariuki, a Head Teacher at Rusinga Schools emphasized that guardians had an immense opportunity to up the chance of a kid’s success if they understood from the onset that achievers are not born but bred.

Lupita’s sister, Esperanza Nyong’o, an alumni of Rusinga School says the fact that the institution allowed her to freely exercise her talent saw her join the school’s football team eventually pursue Sports Management at Real Madrid Graduate School.

“If you reward and recognise intelligence only, you are inadvertently telling your child that only stature matters, that way you bring up a risk averse child. The idea should be to recognise effort so that children learn to take risks, make mistakes and take out lessons from their experiences,” said Patricia.

Lupita also lauded the Government for its efforts in making Kenya an attractive film-making destination through zero-rating film equipment and wooing Hollywood to shoot movies in Kenya. Sports Cabinet Secretary Hassan Wario confirmed that Richard Leakey’s story in the upcoming movie Africa, which features Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt will be shot mostly in Kenya.  

Getting Machakos in the Mood

Moods premium condoms took Machakos by storm during the recent Masaku 7s with an activation that featured a bevy of sexy beauties that painted the town blue. Moods is a premium flagship branch of HLL Lifecare Limited and comprises variants such as 1500 Dots, Allnight and Absolute Xtasy among others.  

Brace yourself for Fast and Furious 8

Shark team, Sheetal Ahir, the Chief Admin Officer, Shark Energy Kenya (left) and Romana Chaudhry Kamal, the Chief Marketing Officer Shark Energy Kenya oozing confidence during the premiere of an adrenaline packed Fast and Furious 7.  

Shark Energy Drink Kenya honoured the memory of Paul Walker by sponsoring the premiere of the adrenaline charged “Fast & Furious 7” movie at the IMAX 20^th Century movie theatre. In attendance was the Shark Energy Kenya CEO, Thakoor Raj; the Chief Administration Officer, Sheetal Ahir and the Chief Marketing Manager Romana Chaudhry Kamal. Also present to sample Shark Energy mixed cocktails were Uganda’s AY and Uganda’s Chameleone. However, even before the buzz triggered by the premiere settles, Vin Diesel has revealed that a sequel to the mega-successful is in the works. 

Loaned decoder comes a million shillings fortune for mother

After staring on a dark screen in her living room for more than a month, Nancy Mudecha, 35, a green grocer from Musasa village in Chavakali, decided to borrow five hundred shillings to top-up and buy a set top box.

“I had only five hundred shillings and so I borrowed another five hundred from a friend as it was getting boring in the house without a television. I was only listening to radio but missed TV news and programmes,” said Mrs. Mudecha.

On 24^th March 2015, the mother of five went into a friend’s shop and asked for the decoder on credit as she didn’t have the total amount of Sh1, 399.

“I talked to the shopkeeper and he allowed me to take the decoder and pay the balance later,” Mrs. Mudecha explained. “I had overheard on radio a discussion that was promoting GOtv saying it was the best for local and international channels,” she said.

The shopkeeper allowed her to take the decoder home after she paid Sh1, 000 and allowed her to pay promised to pay the balance of Sh400 in two weeks’ time.

“He helped me register the decoder using my mobile phone and also connected it,” she said.

 However, it was an unexpected call from GOtv that surprised Mrs. Mudecha who explains that her husband could not help her pay up the debt due to other family commitment.

“I was called on Tuesday by GOtv staff and informed I was the lucky winner of Sh1million. I was shocked and couldn’t believe it,” she said excitedly. “They explained to me that it was true and helped me book a bus to Nairobi to receive the cheque,” she added.

When asked what the money will be used for, Mrs. Mudecha explained, “God comes in various ways. I will first buy a bigger flat screen TV. Then I will buy a bigger shamba, build a house and educate my five children.”

Mrs. Mudecha, who’s already fond of her GOtv programming, likes it all but identifies local news and comedy programmes as her favourite shows.

She becomes the fourth Kenyan to win a million shillings in the 8 weeks competition of GOtv’s ‘Dunga Milli’ competition which launched four weeks ago. The competition coincidentally has seen 3 previous winners who are all winners, will see Kenyans rewarded for going digital with GOtv, while enjoying the instant benefits of increased choice in local and international content.

In addition to the one million prize money, there are also daily draws where every GOtv buyer stands a chance to win prizes of Sh15, 000, airtime plus a chance to win annual GOtv subscriptions.

“Congratulations to Mrs. Mudecha for going digital. As we near the worldwide June digital migration deadline, GOtv has been consistently making set top boxes affordable in order to give more Kenyans access to experience the digital revolution. We are helping Kenya to GO digital with GOtv to enjoy the best quality programming, comments GOtv Kenya General Manager, Felix Kyengo.

“As a true migration partner and a leader in the digital arena it is important that we play a pivotal role towards accelerating Kenya’s digital migration process. For a special price offer of only Sh1, 399, including 2 months GOtv Plus subscription, Kenyan’s can enjoy the best international and local programming”, added Mr Kyengo.

GOtv subscribers are spoiled for choice with a selection of channels including news, children’s programming, documentaries, series and movies. GOtv channels are carefully selected to cater for a variety of different tastes and family viewing needs.

Channels include; Africa Magic World, Africa Magic Swahili, SuperSport Select 1 and 2, One Gospel, E! Entertainment, eTV Africa, ZEE World, Disney Junior in addition to local channels such as KBC, NTV, KTN, Citizen TV to mention but a few. 

GOtv now covers over 30 cities in its pursuit to enable the government to achieve a speedy migration from analogue to digital broadcasting.

For more info on GOtv’s exciting ‘Dunga Milli” campaign and prizes or to find out where to buy your GOtv decoder visit our website on www.gotvafrica.com.

Kenafric feted for energy efficiency

Kenafric Industries, one of the largest manufacturers of confectionery, food, footwear and stationery has bagged the Energy Savings Award (EMA) in this year’s Energy Management Awards.

The annual Awards recognize enterprises that have made major sustainable gains in energy efficiency through the use of innovative energy management principles and practices.

Rising cost of energy pose a growing challenge to businesses as they endeavour to bolster competitiveness of locally manufactured in comparison to imports.

Kenya Association of Manufactures (KAM) estimates that the inefficient use of energy, especially within industry leads to wastage of between 10 to 30 percent of primary energy input.

According to the manufacturer one of Kenafric’s milestones in Energy management was the implementation of an Online Energy Management system (EMS), in which we have the facility to monitor the individual machines energy usage instantaneously.

“Over the years, we have won 16 awards in different categories in which we stand 4 times Overall Energy Management Awards winner with a Runners UP in the same.”

The cost of energy has significant impact on economic activities particularly those that are energy intensive such as cement, steel, pulp and paper production. In a liberalized market such as Kenya’s, energy prices are a significant determinant of competitiveness of locally manufactured goods relative to imports.

In this regard, high energy prices impact negatively on domestic wealth creation, balance of payments and employment creation since consumers opt for cheaper imports. Kenafric Industries is all too aware on the impact of fluctuating energy prices on enterprises as the manufacturer chose to go into footwear at time when plastic shoes were the in thing.

However, an oil crisis in 1992 prompted a paradigm shift in the company’s strategy after oil prices skyrocketed, this led Kenafric Industries to venture into confectionary business after inputs prices shot up denting profit margins.

An increase in the cost of crude oil directly affects the cost of resin — a by-product of oil which is the major raw material in the manufacture of plastics.

The company family acquired its first bubble gum machine from Taiwan to kick start small scale production. In the succeeding 10 years, Kenafric Industries built a strong brand and distribution network taking its sweets and bubble gums countrywide.

The significance of energy management and conservation measures in business cannot be overemphasized, it is estimated that the average energy saving potential in Kenyan industry is over Ksh2 billion per annum.

Challenges to implementation of energy efficiency and conservation initiatives include lack of awareness of the benefits and methods of conservation, apathy, limited technical capacity and inadequate data

The manufacture says it has a standalone energy management policy which is communicated to the staff and customers. EMA is managed by the Kenya Association of Manufacturers through the Centre for Energy Efficiency and Conservation (CEEC) and is aimed at recognizing best practice in energy efficiency and creating awareness about the benefits of energy efficiency.

Father's gift wins daughter a million shillings

Catherine Wambui Ndegwa, 36, is a million shillings richer; thanks to the GOtv ‘Dunga Milli’ campaign.   Less than a week ago, Catherine sent a friend to buy her a GOtv decoder, which was a gift for her father, who lives in Karatina. Her name was entered into the Dunga Milli lucky draw. Little did she know that her name would be drawn, making her a Kenya Dunga Millionaire.  

“I have no words to express my excitement. Thank you to GOtv, my father can now enjoy quality programmes”. She continued to commend GOtv for delivering affordable family entertainment option as Kenyans migrate from analogue to digital TV broadcasting.

When asked what the money will be used for, Catherine chuckled “it will come in handy for college fees, paying off a loan and doing renovations on my house”.

Catherine, whose favourite show on GOtv is National Geographic (NatGeo), is the second winner of the ‘Dunga Milli’ campaign which launched last week. The 8-week long campaign will see Kenyans rewarded for going digital with GOtv, while enjoying the instant benefits of increased choice in local and international content.

“Congratulations to Catherine Wambu for going digital. As we near the worldwide June digital migration deadline, GOtv has been consistently making set top boxes affordable in order to give more Kenyans access to experience the digital revolution. We are helping Kenya to GO digital with GOtv to enjoy the best quality programming, comments GOtv Kenya General Manager, Felix Kyengo.

 “As a true migration partner and a leader in the digital arena it is important that we play a pivotal role towards accelerating Kenya’s digital migration process. For a special price offer of only Sh1, 399, including 2 months GOtv Plus subscription, Kenyan’s can enjoy the best international and local programming”, added Mr Kyengo.

GOtv subscribers are spoiled for choice with a selection of channels including, news, children’s programming, documentaries, series and movies. GOtv channels are carefully selected to cater for a variety of different tastes and family viewing needs.

Channels include; Africa Magic World, Africa Magic Swahili, SuperSport Select 1 and 2, One Gospel, E! Entertainment, Telemundo, eTV Africa, ZEE World, Disney Junior in addition to local channels such as KBC, NTV, KTN, Citizen TV to mention but a few.GOtv now covers over 30 cities in its pursuit to enable the government to achieve a speedy migration from analogue to digital broadcasting.