tech news
TECNO Smartphones Allegedly Carry Built-In Malware
Chinese smartphone manufacturer, TECNO has recently made its debut to the African market. At first, the devices feel surprisingly solid and competent in hand – despite their mainly plastic exterior. However, recent reports suggest that these smartphones are harbouring a secret malware that could consume users airtime and install harmful code. Anti-fraud firm Upstream claims that they have found “a malicious code dubbed Triada on 53,000 TECNO smartphones” that had already been sold in Ethiopia, South Africa, Cameroon, Egypt and Ghana. According to Gadgets Africa, TECNO‘s parent company Transsion told Buzzfeed [the malware] was installed in the supply chain without its knowledge. “The fact that the malware arrives pre-installed on handsets that are bought in their millions by typically low-i...
The Future of Remote Working in South Africa
Sourced from We Work Remotely For several months now, office spaces across South Africa have been gathering dust, void of occupants as employees have been working from home. While there is no telling when the pandemic will end, if the current work-from-home culture is adopted more permanently, offices may soon become ghost towns. But the future of remote working largely remains to be determined. When the COVID-19 crisis began, countless businesses were put to the ultimate test from an IT infrastructure support perspective. A large proportion of the workforce had to cease going in to the office in order to prevent the spread of the virus. As such, for businesses to survive, they had to devise a remote working strategy and leverage digital technology to bring work into the home instead, ensu...
Facebook Adds New Shopping Tab to App
As part of Facebook’s plan to create a place for users to discover businesses and shop for products, it is testing a dedicated shopping tab within the main app. “During the COVID-19 pandemic, the shift to online shopping has rapidly accelerated, with an estimated 85% of people worldwide now shopping online,” says the social platform in an official blog post. “We want to make shopping easier for people and empower anyone, from an entrepreneur to the largest brand, to use our apps to connect with customers and grow their business. That’s why we’re creating new ways for people to shop on our apps and providing tools to help businesses sell online.” The new tab is currently only available in the US. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_ee0.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_ee0.td-a-rec-img img{ margi...
Women in Tech: Ailyssa Pretorius, GM of Uber Eats South Africa and Kenya
As we head towards the end of women’s month, ITNA continues to celebrate the women who have been inspiring the next generation and bridging the current gap in tech workspace. ITNA’s Jenna Delport chatted to Ailyssa Pretorius, Regional GM of Uber Eats South Africa and Kenya about what it takes to make it as a woman in tech-focused industries. Here’s what transpired: What is your typical day like? Does that even exist for you? Two days are never the same at Uber Eats. As the Regional General Manager for Uber Eats South Africa and Kenya, my days range from working with the team to solve tactical problems, to virtual meeting with partners to understand what opportunities we can mutually unlock for growth. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_4f5.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_4f5.td-a-rec-img...
Creating an Equitable Workforce to Inspire Future Generations
Sourced from TechCabal Diversity in the workplace is a phrase which we hear often, but rarely pause to consider what it means beyond representation, and more so, what it can empower businesses and society to achieve. In the Middle East and Africa alone, PWC estimated that $575 billion are lost due to legal and social barriers that exist in women’s access to jobs. One of the biggest roadblocks comes down to people’s mindset and how they perceive women in roles of leadership. Women in Lenovo Leadership Ambassador, Claire Carter says that it is, therefore, no surprise that women feel their seniority is questioned frequently, are asked about family planning at interviews or that women are twice as likely to be interrupted when speaking up in meetings. “This, in turn, leads to talen...
Gozem Unveils New ‘Super App’
Gozem has introduced its new ‘Super App’ interface which consolidates all of its different services — ride-hailing, delivery, eCommerce, and an in-app wallet — into one app. “As we launched various new services and verticals over the last year, we heard from our users that if we were able to offer a holistic experience in our app, we’d offer real value by reducing friction and enhancing convenience,” says Gozem Co-Founder, Emeka Ajene. “To that end, this new Super App has been a long time coming, and we’re happy to continue tailoring our products and services to local needs so that our users who live busy lives can get right to the services they want when they want them. By bringing all of our various service offerings into one common space, we’re making navigating our app a lot simpler fo...
5G Drives the Need for Network Energy Solutions
Fred Saayman, Huawei BU Executive at Pinnacle It is estimated that within five years, the number of connections between people and other people, people and things and things to other things will number more than 100 billion. Add to this the increasing uptake of 5G networks, as well as new services including online healthcare and education, smart homes, telemedicine, virtual and augmented reality, autonomous cars, and it’s easy to see why broader network connections, higher bandwidth and computing that is closer to users are in demand. So says Fred Saayman, Huawei Business Unit: Executive, at Pinnacle ICT, SA’s leading local ICT distributor. “In addition, the world has witnessed incredible new technologies that enable surgeons to supervise operations based on real-time 5G ultra HD imaging. ...
Google Chrome Update expected to make Tabs Load 10% Faster
Sourced from Forbes. Google has revealed that it would be introducing a number of improvements to Chrome, “including tabs that load faster and new features that let users organize and find them easily.” “These days, people are spending a lot of time in their browsers to get things done, whether for work, school or something else,” says Google in an official blog post. “And while some write out a formal to-do list to keep track of tasks, for others, their to-do list is their tabs in Chrome. However you get things done, we want Chrome to help you be more productive.” Here’s a closer look at Google Chrome’s improvements: /* custom css */ .tdi_3_f4f.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_f4f.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Users can expect tabs to load 10 per cent faster Chrome users ...
NETSCOUT Proves it’s Ready to Take on Threat Actors
Risna Steenkamp, General Manager: ESM Division at Networks Unlimited Africa Midway through June, American citizens thought the country was experiencing the world’s biggest-ever distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack, which seemed to be taking down internet service providers, social media platforms, and online services from gaming to banking. It very quickly turned out that no such attack was underway at all, as reported by Forbes, but the most interesting point was that so many citizens in the world’s most technology-enabled Western country believed the story so quickly. “A DDoS attack is a malicious attempt to disrupt the normal traffic of a targeted server, service or network by overwhelming the target or its surrounding infrastructure with a flood of internet traffic,” explains Ris...
Epic Games’ Attempt to Restore Fortnite on App Store Fails
Epic Games was hit with a set back after a US District Court Judge denied its motion to restore Fortnite to the iOS App Store. The popular game was removed after Epic Games launched a sneaky update that allowed it to dodge revenue sharing with Apple. Apple retaliated by pulling the game from its App Store and blocking access to Unreal Engine. Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ruled that “the game will remain off the App Store unless Epic Games attempted to bring it back in accordance with App Store guidelines,” reports TechCrunch. However, it’s not all bad news for the game developer. The Judge also ruled that “Apple can’t retaliate against Epic Games by blocking the gaming firm’s developer accounts or restrict developers on Apple platforms from accessing Unreal Engine.” /* custom css */ .tdi_3...
MTN Introduces New Region-Specific Data Bundles
MTN has introduced a new range of ‘town-specific’ data-bundles that aim to give prepaid customers data that will suit their needs and budgets. “At MTN we are committed to offering our customers increasingly personalised, and relevant, products and services. We understand that everyone is different, with vastly different circumstances, particularly at this time, and we will continue to do our utmost best to cater to every single one of our customers,” says Jacqui O’Sullivan, Executive: Corporate Affairs at MTN South Africa. “The aim with this product is not only to get – and keep – more people connected to family, friends, passions, entertainment, networking and job opportunities, it is also a way to address customer needs on a personal and community-level; ensuring that no one is left behi...
Vodacom Appoints New Group CFO
Vodacom has appointed Raisibe Morathi as its new Group chief financial officer (CFO), effective from 1 November 2020. Morathi joins the telco after resigning from her position as Nedbank CFO – a role that she has held since 2009. Morathi is also expected to be appointed to the Vodacom Group Board. “As one of the most experienced and one of very few African black female CFOs of a listed company in South Africa, Raisibe’s appointment underscores Vodacom’s commitment to driving diversity across the workplace,” says Vodacom in a statement. TechCentral reports that Morathi is a “chartered accountant and has completed an Advanced Management Programme with Insead (France). Her other qualifications include a higher diploma in taxation from Wits University and she is completing a master’s in philos...
