MXit ("mix-it"), a mobile-phone-based instant-messaging company born in Stellenbosch, could be one of the most successful South African technology startups in our history. Over 18 million registered users around the world, and over 20 million log-ons per day, make them a significant player in the instant-messaging world.
I mentioned in my previous post that we had the opportunity to visit two technology startup companies in Stellenbosch - the first being FireID, and the second being the larger MXit. I'm not sure if you can see it clearly from this photo, but the view from their offices is spectacular, seemingly the perfect view to stimulate creativity.
The exciting thing about MXit is their vision of expanding their operations in Africa. South Africa and Africa in general have a huge number of mobile phone users. It's perfectly normal for people in even the poorest townships to have mobile phones, as they are generally the only way for folk in these communities to keep in touch. MXit offers a *very* cheap alternative to SMS text messaging, as well as a host of other features and services.
Across the world, the internet has become a tool of learning, a way to make money, and a means of cheap communication. While many initiatives exist to use computers to expand internet access into deepest Africa, the reality is that due to infrastructure costs it's going to be many years before computers (and stable internet connections) become as ubiquitous as mobile phones. The introduction of MXit into countries such as Zambia, Rwanda and Ghana creates a dirt-cheap means of communication and access to education and information.
Find out how to get MXit on your phone or computer here, and if you'd like to learn a little more about it, click here to read the Wikipedia page about their history and services.
AB
Informative post and great photo. On a similar note, I remember reading a breakdown of access to the BBC web pages. It was people viewing from Africa that made most use of the mobile version of the web pages. Africans, it seems, are leap-frogging the desktop stage and going straight to the mobile one.
Paul
Post authorThanks for that. You’re right, I think, there are millions of Africans who don’t have computers, so they access the web on their mobile phones. I’d also guess that students often browse the web on their devices. I have an idea also that many people don’t have access to the net from work, so they’d use their phones to check up on Facebook, Google Mail, etc.
On another note: I love your site. Please tell me what camera phone you’re using – I *need* to get one! The photos are spectacular. Great depth of field, great colour, sharp. Do you upload the pics directly from your phone? (I’ve a similar section on this site… you’ll see the Mobile Photos link in the sidebar, on the right. :)
AB
On another note: I love your site. Please tell me what camera phone you’re using – I *need* to get one! The photos are spectacular. Great depth of field, great colour, sharp. Do you upload the pics directly from your phone? (I’ve a similar section on this site… you’ll see the Mobile Photos link in the sidebar, on the right.
For the first year or so, I used a Nokia N95. After that, I used a Sony Ericsson Satio. Both tried to sell themselves as being good camera phones, and both have a sliding lens cap, which when you open, immediately puts you into the camera application. No more excuses for not taking photographs: take phone from pocket, slide back lens cover, click.
I experimented with direct uploading in the first week or so, but later gave that up, for two main reasons. Firstly, the photos looked totally different on my phone compared to a computer monitor, which is where all my viewers will see it. Secondly, it seemed a bit against the spirit of mobile phone photography. By that I mean, the hardware and software on the phone is naturally limited. Better to grab something – anything – as a snapshot, then post process on a desktop later. Take, for example, cropping. You could frame the shot perfectly in the first place and spend hours trying to get the right shot. Or, you could crop the photo with the editor on phone, which is painful, and you would do it badly. Or, you can just send the photo over to a desktop and rotate it and crop it perfectly in seconds.
You have some great mobile photos. I will be back to check for more.