From :) to ¯\(°_o)/¯, there are now thousands of emoticons, and as Chris Baraniuk discovers, some can even sway our behaviour.

United Nation’s mobile learning specialist Steve Vosloo argues phones could be the future of education on the continent.

Is innovation just about building sleeker, faster, shiner gadgets? Or should we be looking elsewhere for inspiration, asks Tom Chatfield.

Mobile phones and simple text messages are being used to tackle everything from food shortages to childhood HIV across Africa.