Top Stories
Mara Phones Unveils its First Store in South Africa
Mara Phones has officially opened its first experience store at the Maponya Mall in Soweto, South Africa – exactly one year after it launched the country’s first smartphone manufacturing facility. According to the company, this marks a step in the right direction for Africa’s home-grown smartphone brand – noting that it hopes to open 50 Mara Experience Stores, both company-owned and independently operated, before the end of 2022. “The launch of the first Mara Experience Store cements our commitment to expand our retail footprint in South Africa and to make it easier for customers to experience and purchase our smartphones,” says Sylvester Taku, Head of Growth at Mara Phones South Africa. “Opening the first Mara Experience Store in Soweto’s first mall makes a positive statement about our be...
Huawei Announces Watch GT 2 Pro Launch Date
Image sourced from Android Authority Huawei has announced that it’s Watch GT 2 Pro will officially launch in South Africa on Saturday, 7 November. The latest addition to the Watch GT series boasts a long-lasting two-week battery life and a broad range of exercise and health functions, as well as offering professional guidance and intelligent smart control features. This flagship smartwatch launches with a rugged design featuring premium materials, including a sapphire watch crystal, titanium case and skin-friendly ceramic case back that combines with another sapphire glass black to enhance monitoring accuracy and wearing comfort. Additionally, Watch GT 2 Pro supports apps to provide a convenient means for users to get even more features. Huawei also plans to further augment the smart ...
Subscription Platforms may not “React Kindly” to SABC’s Proposed TV Licence Fees, says Attorney
The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) has plans to push new regulations that would call for South Africans to pay TV Licence fees for using private subscription services, like Netflix and DStv. And that these platforms would have to collect the TV licences on behalf of the public broadcaster. According to Ian Jacobsberg, Director for Corporate, Mergers, and Acquisitions at Tabacks Attorneys, this is a desperate attempt to address the SABC’s dire financial plight without addressing the reasons that created it in the first place. “The low levels of collections the SABC has achieved to date may largely be attributed to public resistance to funding what is seen to be endemic wastage and corruption, and there is understandably considerable resistance to widening the revenue base if ...
Huawei Collaborates with Geekulcha to Host a Series of Developer Workshops Online
Global tech giant Huawei and local tech entrepreneur Mixo Fortune Ngoveni, Founder and CEO of Geekulcha, have collaborated to host a series of app developer workshops. These are aimed at helping budding developers and students in South Africa to harness Huawei Mobile Services (HMS) Core capabilities for app development skills and to advance innovation. Geekulcha is an organisation that provides ICT skills development and training platforms, as well as events, to drive innovation among young people within the tech ecosystem. Alongside Huawei, Ngoveni will play an active role in assisting developers with integrating HMS Core and HMS Capabilities into their apps in a number of weekly and monthly workshops. A recognised top achiever in the Mail and Guardian’s Top 200 Yo...
WhatsApp Unveils New Media Storage Management Tool
WhatsApp has unveiled its new storage management tool which is expected to make locating and deleting media/files much simpler for users. According to The Verge, offers thumbnails of content to be deleted, and groups this data in categories including “Forwarded many times” and “Larger than 5 MB”. [embedded content] The Facebook-owned messaging platform says that users around the globe can expect to see the feature in action within the next week. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_5d5.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_5d5.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } To find this tool, select Settings > Storage and Data > Manage Storage. WhatsApp Introduces New In-App Features WhatsApp has revealed a number of new in-app features covering Shopping, Payments, and Customer Service. Accor...
10 Cybersecurity Tips from Google
Google has revealed its top cybersecurity tips for online users as part of its “Do Your Part #BeCyberSmart” campaign, reports TechWeez. “We have intensified efforts to raise awareness about internet insecurities and empower audiences with tools and resources to help them stay safe online — particularly kids because they are the most vulnerable,” says Google Country Director for Kenya, Agnes Gathaiya. Here are Google’s 10 safety tips to keep in mind when you’re online: Always have up-to-date software across your desktop, mobile operating system and web browser Use a password manager which will create unique and strong passwords Be wary of requests for personal information to avoid phishing attempts Enable 2 step verification Set up a security key for extra protection. This is a physica...
Teraco Begins Construction on Africa’s Largest Single-Site Data Centre
Teraco has revealed that construction has commenced on a new hyperscale data centre with 38 megawatts (MW) of critical power load in Ekurhuleni, South Africa. The facility, known as JB4, is scheduled for completion in the beginning of 2022 and is expected to be the largest data centre in Africa. “South Africa is strategically located at the tip of the African continent and as a result, is positioned as a technology and data centre hub for sub-Saharan Africa. This is further underpinned by growing undersea and terrestrial fibre connectivity to the rest of Africa,” says Jan Hnizdo, CEO of Teraco. “The continued increase of cloud adoption in Africa is also being enabled by investments in critical infrastructure, including hyperscale data centre facilities such as JB4. This will enable global ...
Facebook Tests Dark Mode for Mobile
Facebook is publicly testing a new dark mode feature for its mobile app on both Android and iOS. This news was confirmed by code sleuth Jane Manchun Wong. Facebook is publicly testing Dark Mode! 🌙 You asked it, I chatted with Facebook’s @alexvoica about it and here’s a video made in collaboration with Facebook! pic.twitter.com/TGjdTXDxoP — Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) October 30, 2020 /* custom css */ .tdi_3_535.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_535.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } According to Engadget, users with the option to test the feature will be able to do so by activating it in their Settings & Privacy section under the Menu tab – “[users] can force it on or off, or leave it up to system-level settings. If [they] have an OS-level dark mode switch on when...
App Developers Stand a Chance to Win up to R1 000 000 with #HDC2020
Huawei is committed to bringing the latest technology to app developers in order to support them in delivering the best app experience possible. With HUAWEI AppGallery, Huawei has developed more than 50 kits and hundreds of capabilities for developers and is proud to be working with 1.3 million developers and partners globally. As a brand committed to assisting app developers, Huawei is now running two new competitions, which will be running until 30 November. Upload your app onto HUAWEI AppGallery and win Huawei Cloud vouchers To enter this competition, all you need to do is register as a Huawei developer on HUAWEI AppGallery, Huawei’s app store. Once you have signed up, you will receive a Huawei Cloud voucher. This voucher is worth $200 for individual developers, or $600 for enterp...
Rain Introduces ‘My Rain’ Mobile App
Image sourced from MyBroadband Rain South Africa has introduced ‘My Rain’, its new mobile app which is expected to allow customers to manage their accounts and data usage directly from their smartphones. Rain lists the following app features on the Google Play Store page: Manage your account – Users can update their personal details and payment method, and view their current and past invoices. Billing info – Users can see how much they’re going to be billed for the month. No nasty surprises. Daily usage – Users can see how much they’ve been using for every day of the past month. Complete control – Users are always in control. Upgrade, switch plans, or even cancel at any time. Contact support – Users can get support directly through my rain. Log a network, billing, RICA or onboarding query ...
MTN Adds 12 Million New Subscribers in Q3
MTN Group has reported a strong set of financial results for the third quarter, supported mainly by its larger operations in South Africa, Nigeria and Ghana as well as the addition of 12 million new subscribers across the continent. “As the COVID-19 pandemic has continued to impact lives and livelihoods across our markets, the group has demonstrated strong operational execution and resilience,” says MTN Group president and CEO, Ralph Mupita. To meet the increase in data and digital usage, he added that MTN had focused its investment on network capacity and resilience and modernising its IT systems, spending R16 billion in the year to the end of the third quarter. Service revenue grew by 11,4% to more than R43 billion. Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (...
Pick n Pay Introduces Smart Shopper Digital Receipts
Pick n Pay has revealed that, instead of receiving a printed receipt, Smart Shoppers can now have their till receipts sent directly to their email. These will also be loaded onto the customer’s PnP mobile app profile for 90 days so that they are saved in one place for easy access and review. This is one step in the retailer’s efforts to reduce unnecessary waste as many till receipts land up in landfills as they are often lost in rubbish bins and not recycled. “We are always looking at ways we can reduce waste within our stores and help our customers lead easier lives by making their shopping experience quicker and more convenient. This latest Smart Shopper enhancement ticks all these boxes,” says John Bradshaw, retail executive: marketing at Pick n Pay. “Customers are already telling us th...
