Table of contents

In focus: Raspberry Pi
Raspberry Pi is a single board ultra low cost computer. In this article we introduce this new technical development.

Highlighted articles
- The European Union and the African Union - A statistical portrait 2012 Edition
- Social Media Report 2012
- Global Internet User Survey 2012
- Information Economy Report 2012
- Pocketbook on Euro-Mediterranean statistics — 2012 edition
- Nudge or Compel? Can behavioural economics tackle the digital exclusion of older people?
- As its universities turn out engineering grads, Poland attracts US tech giants

New documents in the Observatory
In this chapter you can find a list of every new item which has been added to the Observatory in the last period.

Title: $50 Android Smartphones Are Disrupting Africa Much Faster Than You Think, Says Wikipedia’s Jimmy Wales
Author: Natasha Lomas
Source: Techcrunch
Date (published): 10/12/2012
Date (accessed): 16/12/2012
Type of information: blog post
Language: English
On-line access: yes
Abstract: "What I always thought about mobile in Africa…is this [smartphone adoption] is coming in the future — in the future someday,” said Wales. “Well the someday’s happening faster than I ever realised."

Title: Windows Phone apps store opens for 21 African countries
Author: Charlie Fripp
Source: ICTs for development
Date (published): 14/12/2012
Date (accessed): 16/12/2012
Type of information: blog post
Language: English
On-line access: yes
Abstract: Microsoft has announced that their web Store for apps and games is now open in 37 new locations around the world, which now includes a number of African countries.

Title: How to Make Everything Ourselves: Open Modular Hardware
Author: Kris De Decker (edited by Deva Lee)
Source: Low-tech Magazine
Date (published): 15/12/2012
Date (accessed): 16/12/2012
Type of information: online article
Language: English
On-line access: yes
Abstract: Reverting to traditional handicrafts is one way to sabotage the throwaway society. In this article, we discuss another possibility: the design of modular consumer products, whose parts and components could be re-used for the design of other products.

Title: Nudge or Compel? Can behavioural economics tackle the digital exclusion of older people?
Editors: Mark Mason, David Sinclair, Craig Berry
Pages: 49 pp.
Publisher: ILC-UK 2012
Date (published): 29/11/2012
Date (accessed): 16/12/2012
Type of information: research report
Language: English
On-line access: yes (pdf)
Abstract: "Nudge or Compel?: Can behavioural economics tackle the digital exclusion of older people?", highlights that over 7.5 million adults have never used the internet (in United Kingdom). The majority of non-users are older, have disabilities or are in the lowest social classes. The report, supported by social investor Nominet Trust, reveals new analysis of data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) on the behavioural traits which accompany internet usage among older people. It finds that:
- People who reported using the internet tended to report feeling more in control of various aspects of their lives.
- People who didn’t own a computer were more likely to feel that they were unable to learn a new skill, while conversely people who did own a computer were more likely to agree that they could.
- People who reported not using the internet were more likely to say that they ‘often’ felt isolated from others. Conversely, people who said they did use the internet were more likely to respond that they ‘hardly ever or never’ felt isolated. The same pattern was found for loneliness.

Title: As its universities turn out engineering grads, Poland attracts US tech giants
Author: Tom Marshall
Source: NBCNews
Date (published): 12/14/2012
Date (accessed): 14/12/2012
Type of information: online article
Language: English
On-line access: yes
Abstract: Poland has continued to grow during the global financial crisis as neighboring countries decline, lining itself up for a strong run to become the continent’s next economic powerhouse. How has Poland pulled off this feat of economic magic? Observers say it’s not just about the low labor costs compared to neighboring Germany, or the boon of a currency freed from the struggling Euro. They point to an impressive, decade-long campaign to raise the quality of secondary and university education.

Title: WCIT-12: New ITRs Article to make ICTs accessible to people with disabilities
Author: Paul Conneally
Source: ITUblog
Date (published): 11/12/2012
Date (accessed): 14/12/2012
Type of information: blog post
Language: English
On-line access: yes
Abstract: Approximately six-hundred and fifty million people around the world live with some form of disability – including both physical and cognitive – with a high percentage of these individuals living in developing countries. This also includes the continuing rise in the number of elderly people living in society today. This accounts for around 10 per cent of the world’s total population.

Title: How to make a Raspberry Pi solar-powered FTP server
Author: David Hayward
Source: CNET
Date (published): 07/12/2012
Date (accessed): 14/12/2012
Type of information: blog post
Language: English
On-line access: yes
Abstract: How about making a solar-powered FTP server? You'll always have instant access to all your digital files, from anywhere with an Internet connection, and it won't cost a penny on your electricity bill.

Title: Nigeria To Launch $20m ICT Fund
Source: Ventures Africa
Date (published): 07/12/2012
Date (accessed): 09/12/2012
Type of information: blog post
Language: English
On-line access: yes
Abstract: Nigeria’s Minister of Communication Technology, Omobola Johnson, has disclosed that the government would soon launch an ICT Innovation Fund that would raise about $20 million for ICT entrepreneurs, to boost growth in the increasingly relevant sector.

Title: The European Union and the African Union - A statistical portrait 2012 Edition
Pages: 100 pp.
ISBN: 978-92-79-27027-7
Publisher: Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2012
Date (published): 05/12/2012
Date (accessed): 08/12/2012
Type of information: General and regional statistics
Language: English
On-line access: yes (pdf)
Abstract: This "statistical portrait" presents, in 100 pages, a broad comparison between the situation of the European Union, including EFTA members and Candidate Countries, and the African Union and its member states. The publication is jointly produced by Eurostat and the Statistical Division of the African Union Commission (AUSTAT) on the basis of data from both organisations. With data up to and including the year 2011, this "portrait" includes various domains such as demography, health, education, national accounts, trade, and more. Tables in the eight chapters help the user to gain a detailed view on different aspects, such as mobile phone subscriptions, number of teachers, life expectancy, GDP, tourism, etc. An overview chapter presenting statistical comparisons with the rest of the world is also included.