Acting Prime Minister and Minister for Economy Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum says Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama and the Fijian government have not endorsed the Instacharge app and there is enough consumer protection to ensure that consumers are not duped into getting the app.
Sayed-Khaiyum says just by being at the event does not mean that the app was endorsed by the Prime Minister as there were many other people there including heads of missions and top company executives.
He says there has been a bit of misplacement of endorsement.
Sayed-Khaiyum says there is no risk to consumers as there is no sale of the app as yet.
He reiterates that the Prime Minister chose the event as an occasion to highlight telecommunications opportunities in the country.
Meanwhile Fijivillage has sent further questions today to the Instacharge Team based in Fiji as there is no word on whether they have held talks with the mobile operators in Fiji.
Our emails are bouncing again from the address given by the team at the end of last month.
InstaCharge is not available on App Store and Play Store.
Questions continue to be raised on how the new InstaCharge app that was launched in Suva last month can store energy outside a mobile phone’s battery while many are calling on the company based in Fiji to provide a full explanation regarding this app.
InstaCharge supposedly allows a user to recharge their phone's battery at the push of a button, with no need for chargers or battery packs.
Radio NZ reports that InstaCharge's creator Douglas Stewart, claims his app saves excess power after a phone is fully charged so, at the push of a button, a user can instantly recharge when the battery is low.
But if it does what it claims to, Las Vegas‑based Stewart will have done what scientists for decades have been unable to: overcome the fundamental laws of thermo-dynamics.
Justin Hodgkiss, an associate professor of physical chemistry at Victoria University in Wellington says one of the fundamental principles is that energy cannot be created or destroyed.
He says it’s just simple, you can't just make energy with an app.
In an email sent to us last Friday, the Instacharge Team says that they are aware of the comments made by reports and blogs questioning how the InstaCharge app functions.
They say in the pursuit of technology, man and woman have always questioned the validity of inventions and creations, and InstaCharge is no different.
The email says that Douglas Stewart's creation has indeed caused global intrigue to those who claim to be technical experts, speculation and skepticism has been mentioned yet none have produced any substantial evidence as to why it does not work.
It says that the InstaCharge App's intellectual property is very sensitive.
The InstaCharge Team further says that the delivery of the app to the general public is work in progress which depends on each territory on a case by case scenario.
They say this will also be determined whether or not it will become available via mobile network providers or other means.
The team says a full statement will be released this week on the questions many are asking.
Fijivillage has also spoken to Vodafone and Digicel.
Vodafone says they are not aware of this product and how it works.
They also say that they are not involved in any way.
Digicel says no one has spoken to them about this.
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