Southern Africa
Skyworth Unveils Newest Range of Smart TVs
Skyworth has officially unveiled its newest range of smart TVs, including the SXC9800, the SUC9300 and the SUC9300 Pro. Besides the showcase of its models, the brand also announced the latest addition to its high-end offering, Android 10, Far Field, access to more content in the Google Play Store, improved hardware and speed, larger memory, AIoT, Cast Play and Two Way Bluetooth Transmission. Skyworth SXC9800 The SXC9800 performs video frame interpolation on a 120Hz 4K OLED screen, delivering an ultra-smooth and stutter-free visual experience, replicating a refresh rate similar to 240Hz. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_593.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_593.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } With built-in Wi-Fi 5 hardware, users can seamlessly access the 120HZ 4K online videos. The TV...
Pick n Pay Introduces Smart Shopper Digital Receipts
Pick n Pay has revealed that, instead of receiving a printed receipt, Smart Shoppers can now have their till receipts sent directly to their email. These will also be loaded onto the customer’s PnP mobile app profile for 90 days so that they are saved in one place for easy access and review. This is one step in the retailer’s efforts to reduce unnecessary waste as many till receipts land up in landfills as they are often lost in rubbish bins and not recycled. “We are always looking at ways we can reduce waste within our stores and help our customers lead easier lives by making their shopping experience quicker and more convenient. This latest Smart Shopper enhancement ticks all these boxes,” says John Bradshaw, retail executive: marketing at Pick n Pay. “Customers are already telling us th...
South Africans could soon need a TV License for their Smartphones and Laptops
The SABC has revealed its plans to push new regulations that would call for South Africans to pay TV Licence fees. Sylvia Tladi, SABC Head of TV Licences, said that “one of the key things that we [need] to deal with was the definition of the television set because once you have defined what a television set is, you move on to identifying whether a licence is required or not.” Tladi goes on to say that people are not just viewing content or broadcasting services on a traditional TV anymore – and that’s why the regulations need to change. “What we are asking for is for the definition to be amended so that it can also include other devices that are not traditionally built to look like television sets but are used to receive broadcasting services for content, whatever platforms people use...
Why Consumers should be Cautious when Entering Banking Details Online
The fast pace of digital progress in the financial world has made it easier than ever for people to transact, make purchases, and manage their money online. For most people, speed and convenience are two of the most important benefits that a digital transaction offers, and many businesses invest significantly into developing digital processes that make such fast and easy transactions possible for their online customers. One example of this digital transactional enablement is a process called screen-scraping. Put simply, this is the process of copying information shown on a digital screen like a computer or mobile device, so that it can be used in another digital screen or process. Ravi Shunmugam, CEO of EFT Product House for FNB, explains that there are various examples of screen-scraping ...
Sony Unveils ‘PlayStation Ready’ Bravia TV Lineup
Sony has unveiled a lineup of its current Bravia TVs that are officially ‘Ready for PlayStation 5’. The new ‘Ready for PlayStation 5’ tagline has been created in partnership with Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) to make it easier for consumers to select the “optimum TV in preparation for the highly anticipated launch of PlayStation 5, the next-generation game console releasing this holiday season”. The first ‘Ready for PlayStation 5’ TVs from Sony includes the standout X90H 4K HDR Full Array LED. The X90H displays gameplay images of up to 4K resolution at 120 fps with a very low input lag of 7.2ms. ‘Ready for PlayStation 5’ TV models also boast Bravia Game Mode, which allows users to automatically play games on the PS5 console with low latency. Thanks to Bravia Game Mode, users can wak...
Vodacom Partners with Nokia on 5G Network
Vodacom has join forces with Nokia to enable ultra-fast 5G services for South Africans. Nokia is said to be deploying its 5G radio, core and fixed network solutions across Vodacom’s network. The telco is using Nokia’s 2G, 3G, 4G and fibre access networks, as well as 5G fixed wireless access (FWA) and mobile broadband services. Vodacom will also use Nokia’s FastMile 5G gateway to offer FWA broadband services in areas not currently served by a fibre network. The solution is expected to be easy for subscribers to install, delivering fibre-like speeds to homes while using Wi-Fi to connect devices within the home. “We are committed to providing the most innovative products and highest quality service to our subscribers. 5G technology allows us to deliver ultra-fast mobile networks and support e...
7 Cybersecurity Precautions South Africans Should Take
Cybercriminals aren’t easy to detect and present a real risk to their victims. The best way to avoid becoming a victim is to be aware of the threats they pose and take every precaution you can to keep yourself safe. According to Giuseppe Virgillito, FNB Head of Digital Banking, the remote living and working requirements of lockdown have meant that most people are communicating digitally – and criminals often use this to their advantage to gain people’s trust in order to steal sensitive information, money or both. “Fraudsters are constantly looking for new ways to get to your information,” explains Virgillito, “and if customers or businesses let down their guard as a result of physical distancing and the need to transact or operate digitally, that unfortunately presents fraudsters with anot...
Lenovo Unveils the Legion Slim 7
Lenovo has unveiled its latest 15-inch gaming laptop – the Legion Slim 7 – said to be the world’s lightest 15-inch gaming laptop with NVIDIA GeForce RTX. The device is powered by the next-level AMD Ryzen 4000 H-Series Mobile Processors, paired with powerful NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 and Max-Q Design GPU for real-time ray tracing. Available in Slate Grey hue with up to AMD Ryzen 9 4900H Mobile Processor, the sleek design is decked to impress gamers with a more secure, integrated power button with fingerprint reader and the incredibly immersive sound of Dolby Atmos Speaker System with Sound Radar by Dolby. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_d78.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_d78.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Engineered for all-day productivity with Windows 10 Pro and increased gaming c...
MTN Appoints Group Chief Risk Officer
Ferdi Moolman, MTN Group Chief Risk Officer MTN Group announced the appointment of Ferdi Moolman to Group Chief Risk Officer, a new Executive Committee (exco) position – effective from 1 March 2021. Moolman joined MTN in 2002 and has held several senior positions within the group in Nigeria and in Iran. He has spent the past five years as the CEO of MTN Nigeria and, as its CFO prior to that. During that time, the company says that significant progress has been made in stabilising the business and setting it on a sustainable growth path. That’s why the management of enterprise-wide risk is integral to MTN’s growth strategy. Moolman will bring extensive operational and financial experience to the role given his deep knowledge of the MTN Group, its markets and the telecoms sector. He will rem...
How Post-Lockdown Shopping Figures Represent Changing Retail Landscape
The impact of COVID-19 on both consumers and retailers is becoming evident. Retailers are under pressure to reimagine and transform their businesses, build-out eCommerce solutions and expand their online offerings. Consumers, having already navigated a difficult year, and still uncertain about what the future holds, are likely to spend more conservatively over the next quarter. New data from Mobicred’s Consumer Spend index reveals some interesting trends as South Africans settle into post-lockdown shopping. While the previous quarter’s figures showed a higher level of eCommerce adoption, this spike was to be expected amid Coronavirus infection fears and consequent limitations on physical shopping during lockdown. Despite adoption rates levelling off, the data shows an increase of 9% i...
Will Black Friday Contribute Towards Economic Stimulation in South Africa?
Despite 2020 being a very tough year for almost everyone, there’s nothing to be gained from not recognising Black Friday and the festive season at large. This is according to Matthew Leighton, spokesperson for OneDayOnly, who says that now more than ever, the economy requires stimulation and regrowth – and Black Friday is the biggest opportunity the eCommerce industry has to contribute towards that economic stimulation. Is this the year more people turn to online shopping? “We’ve seen consistent growth in Black Friday numbers and we expect this to continue,” says Leighton. Between 2018 and 2019, the home-grown daily deals site saw the number of Black Friday shoppers double, dwarfing the numbers seen on a regular day. “Internationally, well-established eCommerce markets are still experienci...
Networks Unlimited Africa keeps Value Offering Promises despite Lockdown Challenges
Anton Jacobsz, Networks Unlimited CEO Despite challenges of constraint, Networks Unlimited Africa has managed to maintain its standards during the lockdown in order to keep its unique partner offering intact. So says Anton Jacobsz, CEO at this leading value-added distributor in the sub-Saharan Africa market. He comments, “Networks Unlimited delivers products and solutions that are affordable, better than the competition, and with faster service delivery to our partners and end-users within the converged technology, data centre, networking, and security landscapes. “We are proud to have maintained our standards during the lockdown despite the difficult environment, especially during the initial phase of the early ‘hard’ lockdown. I commend the three general managers of our divisions and the...
