A lot has transpired in technology in the past week. While we cannot cover everything that's happened in the world of tech, we can try to bring you the most relevant headlines that we believe shall be very helpful to you. Be sure to stick around for our weekly expert tip.
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WhatsApp Is Rolling Out New Sharable Call Link Feature
WhatsApp is going a step further in making online communication more dynamic in a new feature that allows users to generate and share links with their contacts to join video calls.
The giant mobile telecommunications app is taking a page out of Goggle Meet and Zoom’s book by enabling users to join calls with just a single tap.
The Founder of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg announced Monday that the feature would be rolling out to all users later in the week, which means you should be on the lookout for any new WhatsApp updates on your mobile phone.
Zuckerberg also revealed that the company is currently testing 32-person encrypted video calls.
Users will be able to create a link for a video call under the call tab in the app. This link will be sharable to friends and family and will expire after a period of 90 days of inactivity.
First-ever Female Secretary General Of UN’s Oldest Tech Agency, ITU
The United Nations (UN) this week elected the first ever female General Secretary for the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), its oldest agency, tasked with many matters related to information and communication technologies.
Doreen Bogdan-Martin was elected by Member States at the Union’s Plenipotentiary Conference in Bucharest, Roman where she won by 139 votes to 25, and will take office on 1 January 2023.
She has been serving as the Director of the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau. ITU is integral in facilitating the use of radio, satellite and the internet including assigning satellite orbits globally, coordinating technical standards, and improving infrastructure in the developing world.
From 2008-2018, she led ITU’s Strategic Planning & Membership Department. She was instrumental in establishing the Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development, on which she has served as Executive Director for more than a decade, and was an architect of the annual Global Symposium for Regulators, the pre-eminent global event for digital policymakers, as well as director of ITU’s first global youth summit, #BYND.
She pioneered and oversees ITU’s ongoing contribution to the EQUALS Global Partnership for Gender Equality in the Digital Age, and is leading ITU’s collaboration with UNICEF on the Giga project to connect all the world’s schools.
Tesla Unveils Humanoid Robot Poised To Work Factory Jobs Within 3 to 5 Years
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla electric car company has unveiled the latest prototype of a humanoid robot positioned to be able to work car factory jobs within a period of 3 to 5 years.
Musk presented the robot at a Siilicon Valley event where he revealed that the prototype is a “work-in-progress” and could be available to the public for sale in a coming years.
At the event, the robot waved to the audience and raised its knees and proceeded to showcase skills like watering plants, carrying boxes and lifting metal bars.
The Tesla boss said that the robot, named “Optimus” will go for about $20,000 (approximately 76,000,000 Uganda Shs) when it finally comes on the market.
He spoke of a “future of abundance” adding that this is “a fundamental transformation of civilization as we know it.”
Digital Platform Connecting Ugandan Retailers Directly To Fast-Moving Consumer Goods Suppliers
Kyosk, a tech company is here to solve your daily retailer’s problems and create a bridge in the supply chain easing access to high quality goods and products.
Kyosk was founded in Kenya, and has been operating in Uganda in April 2022 when it opened its offices.
The digital ordering and delivery platform ensures that these retail outlets get access to stock at competitive prices and have them delivered directly to them. Fast moving consumer goods companies (FMCGs) find the traditional chain to be inadequate as well, making it expensive for them to serve kiosk-type retail outlets, leading to high incidences of product stock-outs and lost sales opportunities. By providing FMCGs with good data visibility, the company solves this major problem of theirs.
Hazel Twesigye, the Country General Manager said; “Kyosk is here to positively revolutionize the distribution chain by solving some of the issues in the traditional retailers/duukas, among the issues is; high incidences of product stock-outs, lost time in travelling to buy stock and lost opportunity.
Weekly Expert Tip
Topic discussion: Coding.
Looking To Get Into Programming? Why You Should Start With Python Programming Language.
Technology is a booming industry, and the best part is that this boom is perpetually expanding to every field of life, impacting the very way we go on about our daily lives.
Inextricably, tech attracts a voracious appetite from those who seekto learn it, as a life-skill or as a change of career. If you lie in these categories, our weekly tip is for you.
Here's why python should be your starting point as you delve into programming;
1. Python is a dymanic and multi-purpose language.
Here's what you can do with it;
Machine learning
Data Science
Game Development
Web Development
Hardware Programming
2. Python is easy to learn, and in fact, the recommended language for beginner level techies due to its Elnglish-like syntax.
3. Python has amazing libraries which make coding easier
4. Python has a large supportive communitiy of developers being very popular. This means that you have a support-system to get you through your coding journey, making consistensy possible.
