Author: Contributor

By Staff Writer 1Life, South Africa’s direct life insurer, announced on Wednesday that it has launched its 1Life Chat Bot, named Emily. Whether accessing the service using a PC or a mobile phone, users can engage with Emily by using Facebook messenger to source a basic life insurance quote in real time – formulated through the information the consumer provides by way of a series of conversational questions, the company said. The direct life insurer added that the service was designed in such a way that it replicates a real-life conversation, ensuring users get to experience 1Life’s usual customer service…

By Staff Writer Apple today introduced Apple Watch Series 3, adding built-in cellular to the world’s number one watch. Whether users are out for a run, at the pool or just trying to be more active throughout their day, Apple Watch Series 3 with cellular allows them to stay connected, make calls, receive texts and more, even without iPhone nearby. Apple Watch Series 3 comes in two models, one with GPS and cellular, and one with GPS, both featuring a 70 percent faster dual-core processor and new wireless chip. Soon, the combination of cellular and watchOS 4 will allow Apple…

Apple has announced an iPhone X, the future of the smartphone. iPhone X delivers an innovative and secure new way for customers to unlock, authenticate and pay using Face ID, enabled by the new TrueDepth camera. The all-glass front and back feature the most durable glass ever in a smartphone in silver or space gray, while a highly polished, surgical-grade stainless steel band seamlessly wraps around and reinforces iPhone X. “iPhone X is the future of the smartphone. It is packed with incredible new technologies, like the innovative TrueDepth camera system, beautiful Super Retina display and super fast A11 Bionic…

By Staff Writer Apple today introduced the new Apple TV 4K designed to deliver a stunning cinematic experience at home. With support for both 4K and High Dynamic Range (HDR), Apple TV 4K features unbelievably sharp, crisp images, richer, more true-to-life colors, and far greater detail in both dark and bright scenes. Apple TV 4K will also offer 4K HDR content from popular video services, including Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. “Bring the magic of the cinema straight to your living room with the new Apple TV 4K,” Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services, said…

By Viresh Harduth, VP: new customer acquisition (startup and small business) at Sage Africa & Middle East From this month, the price of all grades of petrol has increased by 67c/litre, adding to the steep petrol price and fuel levy increases we have seen over the course of the year. The higher cost of petrol is likely to put Small & Medium businesses in South Africa under further pressure in a tight economic environment of rising inflation. Depending on your business, the petrol price could have a significant impact on your profitability. If you run a fleet of vehicles for…

By David Glance, University of Western Australia In response to millions of people fleeing Florida in the face of Hurricane Irma, Tesla has “flipped a switch” in some of its cars to temporarily extend their range. Tesla cars receive software updates much like an iPhone does – via the internet in an update process called “over-the-air” or OTA updates. It’s one of the only car companies that can do this with their cars, regularly sending updates to fix security flaws or update autonomous driving capabilities. Contrast this with the approach taken by Chrysler, which sent out USB sticks with a…

The financial backers of South Africa’s independent power producers are reeling from Energy Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi recent apparent hit-and-run attack on them, according to City Press. Last week, Kubayi announced they must all renegotiate their previously-agreed tariffs down to 77c/kilowatt-hour. This announcement affects 27 projects representing at least R60 billion in capital expenditure. The department of energy simply endorsed Eskom’s attempt to “squash” South Africa’s flagship public-private partnership initiative – the renewable energy independent power producer (IPP) purchase programme, Mark Pickering, managing director of solar industry lobby group Sapvia, told City Press. National Treasury has R200 billion in renewable energy…

By Staff Writer A major cabinet shake-up is on the cards, with Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma expected to be named as a new minister of education to replace Blade Nzimande. The Sunday Times reported it is believed that the plan is for Dlamini-Zuma to be the one to announce free education at tertiary level, to win over voters. However, City Press newspaper reported that the return of Dlamini-Zuma to Parliament leaves the door open for President Jacob Zuma to make an early exit from the government once his successor has been elected at the ANC’s  elective conference in December. The newspaper also reported…

By Staff Writer The Gupta family is banking on the South African Post Office being granted a banking licence as a way to save its businesses, according to the Sunday Times. The controversial family’s business accounts were closed by the big four banks last year. Furthermore, the Bank of Baroda has given the Guptas notice that it will also close their accounts. Post Office CEO Mark Barnes said in June the company was waiting for the Reserve Bank to issue the Postbank a banking licence, according to the report. “The applicants hope that it (Postbank) will be unbiased and will consider…

by Ben Dickson This article is part of Demystifying AI, a series of posts that (try) to disambiguate the jargon and myths surrounding AI. I was nine years old when I had my first taste of programming, and fell in love with the art (yes, I believe programming is as much art as it is science). I quickly became fascinated with how I could control the flow of my programs by setting logical rules and conditions, if…else statements, switches, loops and more. In later years, I learned to remove clutter from my code by creating modules and abstracting pieces of…

Telecommunications and Postal Services Minister Siyabonga Cwele says very soon South Africans will pay less for data and that changes may be implemented as early as August next year. Reducing the cost of data and roaming charges has been under the spotlight over the past three days as Ministers of Communication and ICT from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) gathered in Durban to discuss ITC infrastructure development in the region. In an interview with SAnews, Minister Cwele said his department has mandated the Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) to conduct a thorough study on the cost of data…

By Avaya Consumers in South Africa prefer a digital-first approach to resolving their basic banking issues, only talking to a human being if they have to, according to a new survey from Avaya. Out of nine countries surveyed, South Africans were the most likely to say they preferred to use a mobile banking app to access their banking services – and they are also most likely to lodge a formal complaint about bad customer service. The Customer Experience in Banking Survey, conducted with YouGov, queried more than 10,000 banking customers in two waves – the first covering the UK, UAE,…

Nissan today introduced the new Nissan LEAF, the next evolution of its zero-emission electric vehicle. The Nissan LEAF has been completely reinvented, combining greater range with a dynamic new design and advanced technologies, representing Nissan’s technological leadership. “The new Nissan LEAF drives Nissan Intelligent Mobility, which is the core brand strategy for Nissan’s future,” Hiroto Saikawa, president and chief executive officer of Nissa, said in a statement. The new Nissan LEAF: raising the bar for electric vehicles (Photo Credit: Nissan) “The new Nissan LEAF, with its improved range, combined with the evolution of autonomous drive technology such as ProPILOT Park,…

By Staff Writer The DA is sceptical about the Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services’ (DTPS) revised South African Connect rollout plan to connect 90% of the population to the internet by 2020. The DTPS wants to connect South Africans to the internet through the project management of a yet-to-be created state IT Infrastructure company. On Tuesday, the new strategy for SA Connect was presented to parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Telecommunications and Postal Services. The state wants to build another state owned company from the existing fibre networks and infrastructure operated by state entities Broadband Infraco, Sentech, PRASA, Eskom, Sanral and…

By Staff Writer British-based mobile phone giant Vodafone is selling 5.2% stake or 90 million ordinary shares in Vodacom for R15 billion. The mobile phone giant has sold 90 million ordinary shares in Vodacom at R165 per share to institutional investors through an accelerated book-build process. Vodacom said in a statement that the placement ensures that it meets the JSE’s free float requirement of more than 20%. Vodacom obtained a temporary dispensation from the JSE to dip below this level to facilitate its circa R35 billion purchase of a 35% stake in Safaricom from Vodafone. Yesterday’s placement means that Vodafone’s…

By Staff Writer The ISPA SuperTeacher of the Year Awards Gala Dinner on Monday night saw the announcement of Amandla Vinjwa as ISPA SuperTeacher of the Year, Marina Myburgh as ISPA TechTeacher of the Year and Mokhudu Machaba as ISPA MobileTech Teacher of the Year. The awards were part of the annual iWeek conference and exhibition hosted by South Africa’s Internet Service Provider’s Association (ISPA). The country’s premier ICT in education awards are a much-anticipated fixture of iWeek which is being held in Durban for the first time this year. On being named ISPA SuperTeacher of the Year, Mr Vinjwa…

By Staff Writer Vodacom has launched two new 4G smartphones to bolster its suite of highly popular branded devices  that are designed and priced to appeal to the value conscious customer looking for a high quality device that is reliable, affordable and that offers the latest smartphone technology. The latest devices – Smart V8 and Smart N8 – both ship with the latest Android Nougat operating system. Vodacom’s Chief Officer, Consumer Sales and Distribution, Jorge Mendes says “affordable devices like the new Smart 8 range are proving to be the biggest contributors to the uptake of smart devices on our…

by Ben Dickson Since their first appearance decades ago, chatbots have come a long way thanks to leaps in natural language processing and generation (NLP/NLG), the branches of artificial intelligence that enable us to interact with computers in a conversational manner. Today AI-powered chatbots have established a prominent role in various fields, including customer service, healthcare, banking and more. Meanwhile, the technologies that power chatbot assistants are growing smarter and more efficient. I had a chance to talk with Rob High, Chief Technology Officer at IBM Watson, on the evolution of chatbots and where the trend is leading to. He…

By Staff Writer There are only 12 units available of the exclusive BMW i8 Protonic Frozen Black Edition. The exclusive limited run special edition is the second of its kind for the BMW i8, following the introduction of the Protonic Red Edition in 2016. The new BMW i8 Protonic Frozen Black Edition features a BMW Individual Protonic Frozen Black exterior paint finish with Frozen Grey metallic highlights and 20 inch W-Spoke style BMW i light alloy wheels, which accentuate the avant-garde exterior design and styling of the vehicle. The exclusive interior package unique to the BMW i8 Frozen Edition range…

By Vino Govender CM (SA) | DFA, Executive: Product Innovation and Marketing The closure of the 159-year-old “Harrods of South Africa” department store, Stuttafords, has brought to the fore important questions about how industries need to develop stronger business plans and innovate in order to serve the tech-savvy customer. While many have simply pointed to the domestic economic slump as a contributor to the collapse of the Stuttafords business, an emerging conversation has been around the store’s failure to take advantage of future-proof digital business strategies to identify new growth opportunities and reach customers beyond their brick and mortar stores.…

By Staff Writer Huawei Consumer Business Group has introduced its first mobile AI computing platform dubbed ‘Kirin 970’ at IFA 2017. By combining the power of the cloud with the speed and responsiveness of native AI processing, Huawei is bringing AI experiences to life and changing the way we interact with our devices. Kirin 970 is powered by an 8-core CPU and a new generation 12-core GPU. Built using a 10nm advanced process, the chipset packs 5.5 million transistors into an area of only one cm². Huawei’s new flagship Kirin 970 is it’s first mobile AI computing platform featuring a…

By Staff Writer Vox is expanding its wireless portfolio through the introduction of several broadband internet packages using Rain’s Long Term Evolution-Advanced (LTE-A) network, with prices starting at R549 per month. Rain, previously Wireless Business Solutions, recently announced the rollout of over 1500 LTE-A base stations across the country, with the intention of expanding coverage to a total of 2 000 sites by the end of 2017 and 4000 by the end of 2018. The LTE-A package is an easy to use, SIM card based service running over a more robust network that offers end users with higher throughputs of…

By Staff Writer Vuyani Jarana, Chief Officer of Vodacom Business, has officially tendered his resignation and will serve a notice period before leaving the mobile phone operator to join South African Airways after 22 years of service. “The Executive Committee of Vodacom Group and I would like to thank Vuyani for the contribution that he has made to the Group as a member of our Exco,” said Vodacom Group CEO Shameel Joosub. He added that Vuyani’s appointment at SAA is testament to his diligence, foresight and visionary approach to sustainable development and his commitment to transforming Vodacom Business into the…

By Staff Writer As competition heats up, South African mobile phone providers must branch into adjacent areas such as connected-home, smart-city and automotive sectors. The local mobile providers – Vodacom, MTN, Cell C and Telkom – achieved good growth overall in 2017, following some tough years, including a particularly difficult 2015. They achieved overall revenue growth, although growth in the average revenue per user slowed, due to new cheaper devices coming onto the market and legacy offerings encountering fierce competition. “It’s vital that these providers move into adjacent areas that can produce synergies with existing access services,” says William Hahn,…

By James Harland, RMIT University Scientists who build artificial intelligence and autonomous systems need a strong ethical understanding of the impact their work could have. More than 100 technology pioneers recently published an open letter to the United Nations on the topic of lethal autonomous weapons, or “killer robots”. Read More: How to make robots that we can trust These people, including the entrepreneur Elon Musk and the founders of several robotics companies, are part of an effort that began in 2015. The original letter called for an end to an arms race that it claimed could be the “third…