Bongani Ndlovu, Chronicle Reporter
THE Zimpapers App that enables users to access news and business transactions on the go is now the second most used app on Apple Store after Twitter.
The App can be downloaded from Google Play Store and Apple Store and is compatible with Android and iPhone Operating system mobile gadgets. The App only takes less than 4MB of space when downloaded.
The country’s favorite newspapers such as Chronicle, The Herald, Sunday News, The Sunday Mail, B-Metro, H-Metro, Umthunywa, Kwayedza, Business Weekly, and Agriculture can be accessed on the App.
Further, the Zimpapers radio stations such as Star FM, Diamond FM, Nyaminyami FM, and CapiTalk Radio can also be accessed.
Yesterday, Zimpapers management and staff held a refresher workshop at the Chronicle building in Bulawayo on the features of the App. Mr. Hilary Mathwasa, chief executive officer of PD House, a software development company based in Long Island, New York America, that developed the application led the group through the virtually unlimited possibilities the Zimpapers mobile App presented for audiences, editorial departments, marketing, and management.
He said the App that was launched at last year’s Zimbabwe International Trade Fair has been working in progress for the past two years.
“We have developed the application that is now the second most used app on the Apple Store. The idea of the App is to create a single platform for news, radio, tv, e-commerce, and different types of entertainment and shopping experiences.
“We want this App to be where businesses and consumers meet and where they can sell all their products, not only for the Zimbabwean market but to new opportunities available in the international market,” said Mr. Mathwasa
He added that the App will not only enable consumers to import items but also to buy items from around the country.
“We are also looking at partnerships with other businesses so that they can use the App as an enabler for their businesses. For example, the App will also have tender documents from the Government,” said Mr. Mathwasa.
Depending on the needs of audiences, the App will soon enable anyone from any place in the world that has the App installed on their mobile phone to send money across countries, buy prescriptions, and access doctors in Zimbabwe from outside the country while saving on service charges associated with such transactions.
It will increase the way one can pay and ensure money goes directly to intended uses.
Chronicle Editor Lawson Mabhena said the mobile App has a lot of potential for Zimpapers’ publications to reach more readers and businesses in the ever-evolving digital space and will help enhance reporters’ coverage of national issues.
Zimpapers CEO Mr. Pikirayi Deketeke said he was pleased to note that the uptake of the App was growing and also it was in the top 10 ahead of names like CNN, as the leading news provider on a global scale.
The App is a chance for advertisers to connect with the audience and through advertising opportunities on the platform that gives real-time feedback.
Also, the App can be used for Public Service Journalism, and as the nation heads to the elections, it can be a reliable source of accurate news.
Zimpapers has always been cognisant of the importance of partnerships with like-minded, forward-thinking technical partners which have led to the successful rollout of products like the Mobile News Services and WhatsApp.
For this particular App, the company teamed up with PD House Inc, the United States-based company owned by young vibrant Zimbabweans who have ensured that the interoperability of the new App is second to none.
Zimpapers is the country’s leading and diversified media group that boasts of various newspaper publications, radio stations, and a television station, Zimbabwe Television Network (ZTN).
