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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...
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 ...
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...
Motorists Urge ‘all-in-one’ Navigation App to Roll-out Across Africa
Image sourced from Forbes African motorists are calling for the introduction of NEXIT – a navigation app that allows users to search for any combination of restaurants, hotels, shopping malls, attractions and petrol stations based on specifications like price and distance. According to Vanguard Nigeria, the app – which is currently only available in the US – “provides turn-by-turn navigation and the ability to find exactly what the user is looking for, when it is needed, particularly on the go” and is useful on long journeys or road trips. “I’ve read about this app. I [hope it] will be introduced here. It’s a harrowing experience for [roadtrippers] to just branch off at any restaurant on the way, not knowing their hygiene level or how affordable their food can be,” says Nigerian motorist, ...
Top 10 Most Popular Android Apps in Nigeria
Sourced from Gadgets Now. In this tech-reliant world, smartphones and apps have become essential. Whether it’s to make communicating with remote-working colleagues more convenient or keeping up with friends and family on social media – apps play a huge role in our day-to-day interactions with the world. Here’s a closer look at the top 10 android apps used by Nigerians: 10. WhatsApp Business WhatsApp Business enables users to have a business presence on WhatsApp, communicate more efficiently with customers and ultimately help grow business. 9. Telegram Telegram is a communication tool with over 400k users – it connects users via a unique, distributed network of data centres around the globe. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_bce.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_bce.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 ...
New Malware Steals Facebook Credentials from African Mobile Users
Sourced from Republic Title Anti-fraud firm, Evina has revealed that a certain malware uses javascript to retrieve the login credentials of Facebook users. The company confirms that social media users in Africa are amongst those who have been targeted. This malware launches a browser that loads Facebook at the same time a mobile user is trying to open the platform – by displaying in the foreground, the user believes the fraudulent browser is legitimate. Malware and ransomware that targets hundreds of millions of mobile users worldwide can have devastating personal, productivity and financial consequences. “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 ...
Facebook and Instagram Now Remind Users to Wear ‘Face Coverings’
Facebook and Instagram have taken it upon themselves to remind users to wear face masks, this comes after a surge in positive COVID-19 cases in the US – there’s no word yet on whether or not this alert will rollout worldwide. Essentially, the social platforms will plaster an alert at the top of the respective apps – Facebook users will then be able to navigate the reminder for more tips by opting to visit the COVID-19 Information Center while Instagram users will be directed to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for more information. “With the rise in COVID-19 cases in the US, we’re putting an alert at the top of Facebook and Instagram to remind everyone to wear face coverings and find more prevention tips from the CDC in our COVID-19 Information Center,” reads a statement from...
African Airline Industry Lost $55 Billion from COVID-19 Lockdowns
Sourced from The African Report. Africa’s travel and tourism industry have lost $55 billion due to the closure of borders across the continent in attempts to stave off the spread of the novel coronavirus. This is according to the African Union, who says that on the continent where safaris are a powerful overseas tourism market, the sector has been crushed by hard lockdowns that sealed air, land and sea borders. “The impact is really severe,” says Amani Abou-Zeid, Commissioner for the African Union during a virtual briefing organised by the World Economic Forum and the WHO on Thursday. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_fbb.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_fbb.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } “We are talking here about $55 billion lost within three months in a year when we were supposed ...
