Author: Contributor
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…
By Hemkumar Balaraman, project manager at Africa, Wipro Limited Recent years have seen South African banks compete in a key battleground: the mighty mobile app. Each bank is positioning mobile in slightly different way – with some emphasising contactless mobile payments, another highlighting bot-like automation and machine learning, others focusing on simplicity, or intuitive user experiences. For banks, the mobile channel has the potential to provide far more contextual, personalised services, and the opportunity to rapidly scale the distribution of financial services into remote areas, at far lower costs than traditional branch-based banking footprints. But actually, developing mobile solutions is…