technology news
Huawei to Launch FreeBuds 4i in Kenya
/* custom css */ .tdi_4_aef.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_aef.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Huawei’s latest addition to the FreeBuds series, the FreeBuds 4i, is set to launch in Kenya. The all-new True Wireless Stereo Bluetooth earphones offer users high-quality sound with long-lasting battery life, active noise cancellation and intuitive controls. With the help of customized internal components such as its 10mm dynamic, the Huawei FreeBuds 4i is capable of providing users with high-quality audio with balanced sound across various frequency ranges. Audio output is tuned professionally and the wind noise reduction structure ensures crystal clear audio at all times, even in noisy environments. The earphones also offer users 10 hours of battery life on a single charge with...
Can You Hack-Proof the Cloud?
The cost and impact of cybercrime are climbing by around 15% every year, according to a 2020 report in Cybercrime Magazine, and is expected to cost $10,5 trillion globally by 2025. This makes cybercrime, they argue, more profitable than the global illegal drug trade. The real costs are far greater though, both broadly and to individual companies, as these funds represent lost investment and innovation, and companies increasingly face stringent fines for personal data losses under regulations such as the General Data Protection Regulation (EU GDPR) and Protection of Personal Information (PoPI) Act. The human layer All it takes is a chink in the armour, warns John Ward, SME of Cloud Business for Africa at Fortinet, and this can be through human error, misconfiguration, permissions-...
Microsoft Teases Plans for the “Next Generation of Windows”
/* custom css */ .tdi_4_617.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_617.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella has revealed that he is testing “the next generation of Windows” which is expected to be one of the biggest updates to Windows. “Soon we will share one of the most significant updates to Windows of the past decade to unlock greater economic opportunity for developers and creators. I’ve been self-hosting it over the past several months, and I’m incredibly excited about the next generation of Windows,” says Nadella. “Our promise to you is this: we will create more opportunity for every Windows developer today and welcome every creator who is looking for the most innovative, new, open platform to build and distribute and monetize applications. We look fo...
Kenyans Can Now Use Telkom T-kash to Pay for eCitizen Services
Telkom’s T-kash, the telco’s Kenyan-based mobile money platform, has been fully integrated into the governments’ digital services platform, Citizen. According to Gadgets Africa, this partnership will “enable T-kash customers to pay for National and County Government Services that are able to be found on the portal”. The list of services users will be able to pay for are those offered by the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA); Directorate of Criminal Investigations, Business Registration Service and Immigration Services. The list also includes services under the Civil Registration Department, Office of the Attorney General, Higher Education Loans Board (HELB), The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), National Construction Authority, Kenya Film Commission, National Environment Manageme...
Contactless Payment Methods Beat Traditional Options for the First Time
Sourced from Htxt.Africa South African bank, FNB has revealed that contactless payments have surpassed Chip and PIN contact payments for the first time ever among its Credit, Debit, Fusion, and Virtual Card users. The Bank attributes the behavioural shift (from chip contact to contactless) to consumer’s preference and awareness of safer, convenient, and quicker means to pay at a Point-of-Sale. “This is a remarkable milestone for the financial services industry, and it augurs well for efforts to improve safety and convenience in the payments network,” says Raj Makanjee, Payments Executive at FNB. “With over 10 million contactless cards in the hands of our customers and 200 000 Virtual Cards activated, we are delighted to see our customers pioneering what we believe to be the future of payme...
Mondia Pay and M-Pesa Expand FinTech Footprint in Tanzania
/* custom css */ .tdi_4_713.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_713.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Mondia Pay and M-Pesa have partnered to allow Tanzanians to access Mondia’s suite of online content on the Vodacom Tanzania PLC digital services network. This means 7 Million Vodacom Tanzania customers can now make use of their airtime balances via SMS and USSD to subscribe to Mondia digital services including PlayInc., MyMuze, Vodacom Premier league, as well as many other news and entertainment services. With the addition of the Mondia Pay and M-Pesa payment option, users now have a safe, secure and convenient payment method connecting them to content, from sports and movies to music and games. The partnership shows the growth potential for innovative fintech and content collabo...
Unpacking Lessons from Ransomeware Attacks in 2021
It’s nearly impossible to read the news without seeing at least one headline blaring about a breach, hack or attack. In the USA, the Colonial Pipeline experienced a Darkside ransomware attack that affected more than 10, 000 gas stations. Virgin Active was hit by a hack in early May 2021 and took weeks to re-establish its systems. Vastaamo, a platform that provided therapy to thousands of patients, lost its data to hackers thanks to an unexpected security flaw. The hackers sent ransom demands to patients – pay up, or your personal information is public knowledge. As Stephen Osler, Co-Founder and Business Development Director at Nclose, points out, the criminal networks and masterminds behind digital attacks are doing their jobs and have every motivation to do these jobs extremely well. “The...
Uber Extends Moove Partnership to Include Ghana
Sourced from CNet. /* custom css */ .tdi_4_03d.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_03d.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Uber has extended its partnership with Moove to provide potential and current Uber drivers in Ghana with long-term access to vehicles. The largest partnership of its kind, the collaboration aims to lower existing barriers to car ownership on the continent and empower drivers to be their own boss within a shorter time frame. Drivers on the Uber platform now have access to brand new Volkswagen Polo among other models for either Flexi Car Weekly Rental or Drive to Own deals, including zero deposit, free maintenance, fuel, and smartphone allowance as well as free insurance. Moove’s partnership with Uber is expected to introduce low-barrier entry methods into the Ub...
Vital Pandemic Industries Foster Unprecedented DDoS Attack Activity
Netscout today announced findings from its bi-annual Threat Intelligence Report, punctuated by a record-setting 10,089,687 Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks observed during 2020. Cybercriminals exploited vulnerabilities exposed by massive internet usage shifts since many users were no longer protected by enterprise-grade security. Attackers paid particular attention to vital pandemic industries such as eCommerce, streaming services, online learning, and healthcare generating a 20% year-over-year increase in attack frequency over 2019 plus a 22% increase in the last six months of 2020. In August, a threat actor Netscout dubbed Lazarus Bear Armada (LBA) launched one of the most sustained and extensive DDoS extortion campaigns yet seen, taking down the New Zealand stock exchan...
MTN Completes NLD Fibre Cable Project in South Africa
MTN has officially completed its Coastal National Long Distance (NLD) fibre cable project. The fibre route starts in Cape Town, and runs along the N2, moves through Gqeberha and East London and then on to Durban. It is expected to offer an exciting alternative to existing fibre networks and older, slower options and covers an impressive 1,822 kms while supporting several other sites. “The project gives MTN an opportunity to provide additional and significant capacity between coastal cities and the rest of SA, ensuring the digital world is brought one step closer for many more people,” says Giovanni Chiarelli, CIO at MTN SA. The NLD 5/6 project commenced over 3 years ago, constructed by Liquid Telecoms (Liquid Intelligent Technologies), with MTN as the key anchor investor. Apart ...
Infobip to Roll Out WhatsApp for Business in Botswana
/* custom css */ .tdi_3_ec0.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_ec0.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Infobip has joined forces with Redbullet to roll out an Automated WhatsApp for Business API channel to its clients with the option of a breakout to a live agent. Established in 2010, Redbullet is a Botswana-based company that provides omnichannel solutions to enterprise customers in the local market. Bakang Sebele, Co-Founder of the ICT company says that they approached Infobip based on its reputation as a big omnichannel provider in South Africa. It had previously also used Infobip’s SMS platform before developing its own. “WhatsApp for Business is a fairly new technology in Botswana, but most people here use WhatsApp as their preferred channel of communication. It mad...
Huawei to Launch New Android Alternative HarmonyOS in June
/* custom css */ .tdi_3_aaa.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_aaa.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Huawei has confirmed that it will launch its new smartphone operating system (OS) HarmonyOS in June. The Chinese tech company told Global Times that the OS has been in use for the last two years on a number of Huawei watches, laptops and home appliances but it will now formally support smartphones. Huawei expects the number of devices equipped with HarmonyOS to reach 300 million by the end of 2021, including more than 200 million Huawei devices. According to TechRadar, HarmonyOS is related to, but not exactly the same as, the Huawei Mobile Services (HMS), replacements to Google’s apps that the company is working on in an effort to work pass the Huawei ban. “These are apps th...
