tech news
Facebook Bans Trump Through the End of His Presidency
Congress officially certified Joe Biden as the next US President yesterday, which means Donald Trump’s reign is about to come to an end — and social media sites are finally ready to wave goodbye. After temporarily banning Trump’s account because he encouraged his supporters to take the Capitol under siege, Facebook is now extending its block through the end of his presidency on January 20th. Starting immediately, Trump’s access to his Facebook and Instagram accounts will be blocked for the two weeks that remain before his term in the office ends. As such, he will not be allowed to post or share any new content on either of the platforms. This is a continuation of the temporary block that Facebook put in place on January 6th after Trump posted messages encouraging his supporters to storm th...
Why Access to Technology is Critical for Farmers in Africa
The African continent is home to an estimated 65% of the world’s uncultivated arable land, an abundance of fresh water and about 300 days of sunshine each year, according to the World Economic Forum. However, the reality is that the agriculture industry is mostly made up of the older African generation — who often discourage their children from working with the land. So despite seemingly ideal farming conditions, African nations spend close to $65 billion importing food — a number that is expected to grow exponentially within the next decade. The African Development Bank (ABD) believes that this is unsustainable and unaffordable — noting that the secret to the continent’s economic viability and growth is to equip farmers, as well as the next-generation, with training, advice an...
Facebook and Instagram Ban US President Trump for 24 Hours
Sourced from Politico. Facebook has made the decision to stop US President Donald Trump from posting for 24 hours. This comes after the social media giant removed two posts that were reportedly in support of a pro-Trump attack on the US Capitol. “We’ve assessed two policy violations against President Trump’s Page which will result in a 24-hour feature block, meaning he will lose the ability to post on the platform during that time,” reads a statement from Facebook. We’ve assessed two policy violations against President Trump’s Page which will result in a 24-hour feature block, meaning he will lose the ability to post on the platform during that time. — Facebook Newsroom (@fbnewsroom) January 7, 2021 Not long after, Facebook-owned Instagram also confirmed that it would be blocki...
TT100 Awards Interview: Mochocho IT Consulting
Mochocho IT Consulting (Mochocho ITC) was established in 2010 as a 100% black, youth-owned and managed. Its mission is to take technology to rural areas in South Africa and serve our clients by providing the highest quality information technology services that address their business issues. What is the core focus of your business?The company’s primary function is to address the growing need for ICT services among the small businesses, cooperate with clients, schools, municipalities and other government departments. What have been the company’s biggest highlights for 2020?Being nominated for the TT100 Director General’s overall excellence and winning the Management of people’s award on the small business category. Could you tell us about your future plans and upcoming programs?Our plan...
LG to Introduce its First-Ever QNED Mini LED TV
LG is set to introduce its first-ever QNED Mini LED TVs at the all virtual CES 2021 event. This year’s lineup includes 10 new 4K and 8K models covering a wide range of large screen sizes up to 86 inches. These new TVs are expected to represent a giant leap forward in LCD TV picture quality. Thanks to quantum dot and NanoCell technologies with Mini LEDs as the light source, brightness and contrast are far superior to that of conventional LCD televisions. With OLED at the pinnacle of LG’s TV offerings with its self-lit pixels and independent dimming control, the arrival of LG’s QNED Mini LED TVs offer a compelling option for consumers. Thanks to a new panel structure enhanced by LG’s advanced Mini LED backlighting, these TVs deliver an immersive viewing experience in the LCD space. /* custom...
Siemon Appoints New President and CEO
Siemon has appointed Henry Siemon as the company’s new President and CEO, effective January 2021. Carl Siemon, who has served as President and CEO since 1982, will continue to serve on the board of directors and will work with Henry and the leadership team as a strategic advisor. Since joining Siemon in 2017, Henry has served as global director of supply chain focused on initiatives to improve the company’s operational capabilities across the 150 countries Siemon serves today. He earned his Bachelor’s degree with a focus on Economics from the University of Richmond and later earned his MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management. Prior to joining Siemon, Henry worked for Apple Inc. where he joined the global supply chain strategy team before leading reseller operations teams for various produc...
Infinidat Appoints New CEO and CFO
Infinidat has announced the appointment of Phil Bullinger as the company’s new Chief Executive Officer. He will be joining the Infinidat executive team following a 30-year career in enterprise storage, most recently as the Senior VP and GM of the Data Center Business Unit for Western Digital. Bullinger is expected to lead Infinidat through the next phase of its growth, building on the strength of the company’s highly regarded solutions and customer relationships and expanding go-to-market capabilities and scale. “Phil is a proven leader with over three decades of experience building and operating world-class organizations in the data storage industry,” says Scott Gilbertson, member of the Infinidat Board of Directors. “Enterprises are facing growing pressure to source faster, larger, more ...
Trump Pushes Executive Order to Ban Alipay, WeChat Pay and other Chinese Platforms
Image sourced from Al Jazeera US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that aims to prohibit transactions with eight digital Chinese payment platforms, including Ant Group’s Alipay and Tencent’s QQ and WeChat Pay. “Additional steps must be taken to deal with the national emergency with respect to the information and communications technology and services supply chain,” reads the order. “The pace and pervasiveness of the spread in the United States of certain connected mobile and desktop applications and other software developed or controlled by persons in the People’s Republic of China… continue to threaten the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States.” US Commerce Secretary, Wilbur Ross confirmed that the Commerce Department will “begin imple...
TT100 Awards Interview: Spark ATM Systems
Established in 2005, Spark ATM Systems is an independent ATM deployer in South Africa, with over 4 000 ATM installations countrywide. From its head office in Cape Town, the company’s dedicated team co-ordinates its expanding ATM network, including sales, installation, maintenance, monitoring and reporting activities. What is the core focus of your business? Spark ATM is an Independent ATM deployer with over 4500 ATM locations across the country. We are proud to be called the partner of choice for many of SA’s banks to fulfil their cash distribution needs across the country. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_ff8.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_ff8.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } What have been the company’s biggest highlights in the last year? The way our 170 strong team responded whe...
vivo V20 Officially Launches in Kenya
vivo has officially launched its latest premium device – the vivo V20 – in Kenya. The photography-focused smartphone is expected to offer extraordinary photography and videography solutions. “vivo always innovates with the consumer in mind. Guided by our deep insights into consumer needs, we developed the V20 to provide leading camera technology packed in a sleek, but affordable, device,” says James Irungu, Brand Manager for vivo Kenya. “The V20 is ideal for young consumers who like to take regular photos and record life’s shiny moments, while the trendy design makes it a perfect accessory for their lifestyles.” The vivo V20 features a signature 44MP Eye Autofocus selfie which can shoot up to 4K selfie video with additional unique features such as the—Slo-Mo Selfie video, steadiface selfie...
6 Digital Tranformation Trends for 2021
Thanks to 2020, predictions for the new year might not be so unrealistic. But predictions are one thing, trends are another. Here’s a quick look at six technology insights for 2021: 1. Accelerated Adjustment to the Pandemic COVID-19 shocked all businesses last year. However, enterprises are becoming used to the new normal “and digitisation should return to previous levels of growth in 2021,” says Peter Mülders, Customer Success Manager at Synthesis. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_4fe.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_4fe.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } 2. Continued Growth of Cloud There was substantial growth in cloud this past year. AWS Revenue grew 29% year-on-year in quarter three to $11.6bn and Microsoft Azure Revenue increased by 48% year-on-year in quarter three to an estimate...
How Enhanced Connectivity Sets the Foundation for Digital Economies
Over the past few months, we’ve seen the world transform. It’s clear that cities will be affected in the long-term, which is why it’s critical to reflect on how emerging technologies can shape the future. The emergence of 5G networks and boundless broadband deployment has the potential to change the way cities define their digital future. The promise of mobile gigabit connectivity, low latency and unprecedented device density offers new and exciting developments that affect every aspect of public life, from intelligent transportation to public safety and waste management. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic is shining additional light on the need for greater connectivity speeds and broadband access, that not only allows organisations to drive business continuity, but to also bridge the dig...
