technology news
REVIEW: Fujifilm Instax Link Mini Smartphone Printer
The resurrection of the polaroid-aesthetic camera has been massive, with Fujifilm leading the charge in Africa. Now, lovers of the old-school instant print photos are in for a wild ride as Intax’ Link Mini Smartphone printer mixes new tech with old tech to create something that needs to be seen to be believed. The Instax Link Mini is sleek in design, it features a rounded shape that is deceivingly small and comfortably fits in hand. The device is mostly controlled through a large Instax button at its centre and features a backport for the film and an output slide for printed photos. Most of its connectivity and usage is done straight through the Instax Mini Link app, available on Android and iOS via instant Bluetooth connectivity. Through the app, the printer can be used ...
MTN Ranked as South Africa’s Best Network during Lockdown
Image sourced from Pinterest. MTN has been named as the best mobile network in South Africa during lockdown – a title awarded by MyBroadband in their lastest insights report. The report is based on 278,890 speed tests which were performed by thousands of Speed Test App users across the country between 1 April and 30 June 2020. The research shows that South Africa had an average mobile download speed of 27.13Mbps and an average upload speed of 10.53Mbps. Telecoms and Lockdown During the lockdown, there was pressure on mobile networks to maintain good service levels amidst the increased demand for data. The higher data traffic, which increased by up to 50%, would typically result in a decrease in network speeds. However, this was not the case thanks to the temporary spectrum issued by ICASA ...
Nedbank Unveils ‘First in Africa’ Contactless Payments Solution
Nedbank is testing a new contactless payments solution that allows all merchants and business owners to convert their mobile phones into ‘payment acceptance devices’. In a first for Africa, Nedbank is currently the only bank to offer this capability. The ‘Tap-on-Phone’ solution is said to make it easier for SMEs to use their compatible smartphones to accept quick, easy, and secure, payments from their customers for goods or services. Nedbank says that this solution, which is inspired by the current COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting social distancing rules, enables contactless payment acceptance and there’s no health risk to the merchant or customer. “The challenges presented by COVID-19 demand that the world of payments evolves even quicker, and banks must respond by providing innovative...
Google Rolls Out Dark Mode on G Suite Apps
Image sourced from Google Google has announced that it will be rolling out dark mode across Docs, Sheets, and Slides apps on Android. According to the company, the new theme will “intelligently adjust the product interface and user-generated content in ways that can make it more usable in low-light environments and save battery life”. The new theme, which is expected to roll out to all users within the next two weeks, will come about automatically for users who’s Android system is already set to use dark mode. But Google says that users can also turn dark mode on or off for Docs, Sheets, or Slides independently – and if users do this, each app will always be in the selected theme regardless of the Android system settings. Here’s how to enable the theme: Open the Docs, Sheets, or Slides app...
Nedbank Takes Home 5 Accolades at the 2020 Global Banking and Finance Awards
Image sourced from Nedbank Nedbank had revealed that it walked home with five accolades at this year’s International Banker Awards for the Middle East and Africa. These awards included recognition for the Best Banking Technology Implementation, Most Innovative Digital Branch Design, and Most Innovative Retail Banking App in South Africa in 2020. Nedbank also took top honours as the Best Retail Bank in South Africa for the second consecutive year, and Nedbank CIO, Fred Swanepoel was announced CIO of the Year in South Africa in the Technology Leadership Awards category. According to Ciko Thomas, Group Managing Executive for Nedbank Retail & Business Banking, the numerous awards validate Nedbank’s commitment to constant innovation – particularly in the digital space. “Nedbank’s continuous...
LG’s First 5G Smartphone Launches in South Africa
LG has officially unveiled its first 5G smartphone – the LG Velevt – to the South African market during a live virtual launch event. The LG Velvet comes standard with a 6.8-inch P-OLED Cinematic FullVision display and Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G, making it the first mobile device from the company to integrate an application processor and 5G connectivity. “Powered by the Snapdragon 765G, the LG Velvet is equipped to deliver exceptional performance to meet even the most demanding 5G use cases, while also enabling intelligent multi-camera capture, high-speed gaming and all-day battery life,” says Alex Katouzian, SVP of the Mobile Business Unit at Qualcomm. “We’re excited to continue working with LG to help deliver 5G to more consumers with this truly global device.” /* custom css */ .tdi_3_444.t...
Pick n Pay is Using Machine Learning to Change How People Shop
Image sourced from Guzzle Pick n Pay has announced that it will use machine learning to automatically personalise discounts for Smart Shoppers – a move that is expected to help more customers save more on their grocery shop. Using this advanced technology, Pick n Pay hopes to give each shopper eight personalised discounts every two weeks. These are unique to each customer and offer cash-off savings, discounts or boosted points for products they buy most often. “This algorithm predicts what a customer is likely to buy and helps us work in conjunction with our partners to give customers personalised savings on the items they want or plan to buy,” says John Bradshaw, retail executive of marketing at Pick n Pay. Technology improvements mean that customers no longer have to activate their perso...
Showmax Launches New Live-streaming Service in Kenya and Nigeria
Showmax is launching a new service – Showmax Pro – which will initially roll out in Nigeria and Kenya. The service will bundle the existing Showmax entertainment service with music channels, news and live sport streaming from SuperSport. Showmax Pro features all Premier League, Serie A, La Liga and PSL games, as well as a wide range of other live sport events. Here’s a closer look at Showmax Pro’s offerings: Showmax Showmax Pro Showmax Showmax Mobile Showmax Pro Showmax Pro Mobile Series, movies, kids’ shows, documentaries ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ IAAF Athletics, pro boxing, major international marathons, & more – – ✓ ✓ Music channels Trace Urban, Trace Gospel – – ✓ ✓ News channels Africa News, Euronews, Newzroom Afrika – – ✓ ✓ Football: all Premier League, Serie A, PSL and La Liga games – – ✓ ✓ Number...
25 Apps That Could Steal Your Facebook Credentials
Sourced from Gadgets Now. New and useful apps pop up in app stores every single day – and while it’s the responsibility of the company’s who own and manage the stores to ensure that their users are protected from threats, some rogue apps still manage to slip through the cracks. Anti-fraud firm, Evina has uncovered a number of android apps that are capable of stealing their users’ Facebook credentials. These apps had a new sort of malware embedded within them that would give bad actors an opportunity to target the users. “This new malware is particularly dangerous as it could effectively ruin your online and offline life by making off with the credentials of one of your most valued pieces of digital real estate,” says Evina CEO, David Lotfi. “Worse still, it is embedded in a whole range of ...
INTERVIEW: Driving Digital Transformation for South African Businesses with Logicalis
International IT solutions and managed services provider, Logicalis has announced the availability of its globally renowned Cisco integration expertise in South Africa. This move speaks to how the group has added another string to its bow as the company evolves towards a new brand positioning, as Architects of Change. ITNA’s Jenna Delport chatted to Morne Laubscher, CTO of Logicalis, about how Logicalis and the tech industry as a whole is shifting to achieve digital transformation – here’s what transpired: Logicalis is said to be positioning the company as an architect of change – what exactly does becoming an architect of change mean, especially in such a fast-paced industry? With this fourth industrial revolution, we find ourselves in the exponential growth of innovation and digital serv...
UK to Phase Out 5G Technology from Huawei
Image sourced from Onties British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson is reportedly planning to phase out the use of 5G network technology supplied by Huawei in as little as six months – this comes after the UK’s national intelligence agency, GCHQ, flagged new security fears over the Chinese technology company. A report from the GCHQ is said to rule that new US sanctions on Huawei have had a ‘serve’ impact and will force the company to use untrusted technology that could make the risk impossible to control. According to Bloomberg, UK officials have already set about drafting proposals to stop installing new Huawei equipment in the 5G network and to speed up the removal of technology that is already in place. In response to the news, a spokesperson from the tech company says that “Huawei is the m...
Leading a Remote Workforce: a Success Story
At a time when the whole world has been forced to make drastic changes to the way in which it operates, one has to wonder whether being at the helm of any organisation is an enviable position. As the cumulative effects of South Africa’s recent economic downturn and current world events make themselves felt, the ability to adapt to new models of working has been the fundamental driver of maintaining operations. Canon South Africa MD, David Preston, has been working from his home country in England when lockdown took effect, and when asked what challenges he’s had to overcome in the wake of the lockdown restrictions, being abroad is first on the list. However, he is quick to add that this has proved more of a mental challenge than anything else because, practically, it’s been a matter of usi...
