technology news
5 Innovation Driven Predictions in Science and Technology
1. Capturing and transforming CO2 to mitigate climate change In the next five years, we will be able to capture CO2 from the air and transform it from the scourge of the environment into something useful. The goal is to make CO2 capture and reuse efficient enough to scale globally so we can significantly reduce the level of the harmful CO2 in the atmosphere and, ultimately, slow climate change. 2. Modelling Mother Nature to feed a growing citizenry while reducing carbon emissions In the next five years, we will replicate nature’s ability to convert nitrogen in the soil into nitrate-rich fertilizer, feeding the growing world while reducing the environmental impact of fertilizers. We’ll come up with an innovative solution to enable nitrogen fixation at a sustainable scale and help feed the w...
MTN Joins Forces with the Telecom Infra Project
MTN Group has teamed up with the Telecom Infra Project (TIP) to support the evolution of its communication transport infrastructure – something the telco hopes will become a platform for ‘future revenue growth and profitability’. “Our partnership with TIP will drive the specific requirements of our network to meet our subscriber demands, setting us apart on our network scalability and adaptability,” says Charles Molapisi, MTN Group CIO. Through the partnership, communication transport capacity will be deployed to support traffic growth over the next three years. In addition, it aims to provide support for new services as part of the evolution of 5G and new enterprise services. It will also reduce the time to market through more focused agile service provisioning. “Through the use of open p...
Jumia Unveils New Mobile Gaming Service
Jumia and Mondia have joined forces to launch a mobile gaming service – accessible from the JumiaPay App. In its first phase, the gaming portal is available in five African countries including Egypt, Nigeria, Morocco, Kenya and Ghana with plans to expand the service to Jumia customers in Tunisia and Côte d’Ivoire over the next few months. “The gaming industry is expected to grow at a CGAR of 12% until 2025 and with more than 200 million Africans who are below the age of 35, the continent has tremendous potential in the mobile gaming segment,” says Amadeo Rahmann, CEO of Mondia. Sami Louali, EVP Financial Services at Jumia Group, says, “We have always been at the forefront of providing our consumers with the latest and best products and services. With the launch of this new category on Jumi...
Apple Announces 5G iPhone Launch Date
Apple has revealed that its newest iPhones will debut at a product launch event on 13 October. The company is expected to showcase “four redesigned iPhones with 5G wireless capability, upgraded cameras, faster processors and a wider range of screen sizes”, according to Bloomberg. The lastest devices were notably absent from the tech company’s annual product launch in September – leaving many wondering if we were to see a new iPhone at all this year. But now it seems that the October launch could allow Apple to avoid a gap between the event and handsets reaching store shelves – as the iPhone maker will have more stores reopened by that point, according to Jon Prosser, a reliable Apple insider. Apple Might Ditch the Charger and EarPods When Shipping 5G iPhones Apple may no longer include a p...
Google Rebrands G Suite as Google Workspace
Google has officially unveiled the redesign of its collection of office apps as Google Workspace – formerly known as G Suite. Google Workspace is expected to still include Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Meet, and more. “Whether you’re returning to the office, working from home, on the frontlines with your mobile device, or connecting with customers, Google Workspace is the best way to create, communicate, and collaborate,” reads an official blog post from the tech company. [embedded content] With Google Workspace, Google is introducing three major developments: new, deeply integrated user experience that helps teams collaborate more effectively, frontline workers stay connected, and businesses power new digital customer experiences a new brand identity that reflect...
Showmax Introduces 5 New Livestream Channels in Kenya
Showmax has announced the availability of five new live-streaming channels in Kenya. These local offerings include K24, KBC, KTN Home, KTN News and NTV. “With the addition of these live channels, Showmax offers Kenyans a one-stop streaming destination featuring the best of international and Kenyan shows, movies and kids’ shows, the world’s best sport from SuperSport on our Pro plan and now, live streams of Kenya’s biggest channels,” says Yolisa Phahle, CEO of Connected Video at Multichoice. “We’re constantly working on new ways to improve the Showmax experience for our subscribers. Whether it’s M-Pesa payments or daily episodes of Maisha Magic favourites like Selina, Kina and Kovu as well as weekly episodes of Sol Family and Hullabaloo Estate, our local-first approach keeps our Kenyan subs...
4 Tips to Securing your Safety while Shopping Online
With the start of lockdown in South Africa now over six months ago, certain behavioural and shopping trends have started to become clear. The extreme regulations necessary in Level 5 significantly contributed to an increased uptake in online shopping, and put eCommerce into the focal point as a viable way to buy everyday goods. Speaking in light of Cyber Security Awareness month OneDayOnly.co.za spokesperson, Matthew Leighton says that cyber safety is a big part of shopping online, but not nearly as scary or unknown as some may think. “E-commerce is no doubt starting to mature in South Africa. Our retail sales grew by 100% during lockdown and we are seeing an uptake in first-time users making it even more important for consumers to familiarize themselves with online safety. As soon as you ...
Uber to Crack Down on Mask Wearing in South Africa
Sourced from CNet. Uber South Africa has launched its Mask Verification tool in an attempt to ensure all passengers wear a mask when taking a ride. Passengers may be required to take a selfie while the mask verification tool ‘detects whether a mask is within the frame of the portrait and allows access to Uber if this is the case,’ reports MyBroadBand. “Masks are mandatory for riders and drivers, and both of you can leave feedback if the other isn’t wearing one,” reads an email from Uber to its South African users. “If we receive feedback about anyone consistently violating our mask policy, they will be blocked from the Uber app.” /* custom css */ .tdi_3_f66.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_f66.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Uber Cash Digital Wallet Launched in Sub-Saharan A...
Mukuru Adds Sign-Up Feature to WhatsApp
Mukuru has upgraded its app and added a new self sign-up feature to its WhatsApp offering. The new app – available on Android and IOS – will allow users to send money to 12 countries including Botswana, Bangladesh, DR Congo, Eswatini, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Pakistan, Uganda, Zimbabwe and Zambia. Both channels are expected to enable customers to sign-up and conduct important transactions from home. “Our customers have been asking for a Mukuru App, and we have made sure to develop and present a solution that empowers our customers to send money back home to their families in an even safer and more convenient way. Mukuru has always given its customers the ability to transact when and wherever they need to through our existing USSD and WhatsApp offerings – the Mukuru App adds a ri...
Unpacking Intelligent Infrastructure in the Modern Data Centre
As the world’s largest IT companies realise the importance of ‘intelligent infrastructure’ in the modern data centre, the race is on between storage competitors to provide products and solutions that are actually truly intelligent, and not merely standard infrastructure. So says Marcel Fouché, Networking and Storage General Manager at value-added distributor Networks Unlimited Africa, which partners in South Africa with Tintri, a provider of intelligent infrastructure for virtualised and non-virtualised enterprise IT environments. He clarifies, “In order to get to grips with this challenging issue, Tintri recently held a free webcast to unpack the differences between intelligent and standard infrastructure, looking at the topic from the perspectives of the customer, the vendor and th...
McAfee Founder is Arrested for Tax Evasion
Image sourced from Al Jeezera Cybersecurity company founder, John McAfee has been arrested in Spain after allegedly evading taxes. The US Justice Department revealed that an indictment from 15 June delivered by the Tax Division claims McAfee failed to file tax returns from 2014 to 2018 despite earning “millions in income from promoting cryptocurrencies, consulting work, speaking engagements, and selling the rights to his life story for a documentary”.’ The cybersecurity pioneer is reportedly also facing charges of cryptocurrency promotion from the SEC. According to Engadget, “the SEC explains that the charges are for McAfee promotion initial coin offerings (ICOs) via Twitter without admitting that he was getting paid as much as $23 million for it”. “It details the alleged scheme, as M...
LexisNexis Tournament Sparks Learner Interest in Coding
More than 400 learners from over 80 schools across the country participated in a virtual tournament held from 19 to 26 September 2020 which used gamification to introduce them to basic coding concepts and social issues such as ocean conservation. Professor Jean Greyling, associate professor in Computing Sciences at Nelson Mandela University, said the BOATS tournament was a partnership between the university’s Department of Computing Science, legal technology company LexisNexis South Africa and non-profit organisation, Leva Foundation, which empowers previously disadvantaged youth by providing employable skills development. “During the tournament, learners logged in from home to access the BOATS Android mobile coding app. They were taken through multiple-choice questions that edu...
