MobileActive at PopTech: Stories from the Field

Mobile empowerment was the theme of the PopTech session with Nokia, Eprom, and MobileActive. Nathan Eagle, a researcher and passionate mobile advocacte for entrepreneurs in Africa, talked about the EPROM project that trains African computer science students in mobile application development and research on mobile applications and value-added services within in African context. Joe MacCarthy from Nokia's Research Lab in California described Nokia's support of mobile initiative in health and education, including MobiSus in Brazil, and Mapya in Kenya. Joe's session slides are here.

I talked about the many inspired stories from the MobileActive community using mobile phones to change the world. These include election monitoring via mobile phones and using phones in Aids services and advocacy in South Africa.

Nathan profiled the services African entrepeneurs develop, including Blodbank SMS that can revolutionize blood bank delivery to hospitals in Kenya. It is a mobile revoluton and there are untold stories all over the world about how mobiles are empowering individuals and communities and better people's lives. We want to tell them all.

Photo courtesy Inferis