Phone ownership and signal coverage are expanding rapidly in Kenya. In rural areas, SMS messages are a great way for people to communicate advice and expertise. iShamba is making that system even easier, providing Kenyan farmers with key agricultural information for a minimal fee.

The number of internet users in Africa has grown at seven times the global average, growing over 3,600% between 2000 and 2012 to 167 million people. With the internet now reaching more people than ever before, being online is no longer a luxury, but a norm.

Smartphones are no longer just a means of communicating. They wake us up, get us from A to B and even help us find love. We’ve almost forgotten their original purpose. Text trumps voicecalls and apps trump SMS – it’s a good time to ask – what’s the future of the mobile phone?

From messaging to social media to a marketplace to browsing the internet, WeChat is the app the does everything. While Western companies and app developers race to unbundle their services into efficient single-purpose apps, WeChat continues to add feature after feature.