Author: Gugu Lourie
To understand the new smart monitors and other pro devices of tech health, we should look to Silicon Valley and the quantified movement of the latest generation. Apple’s Watch records exercise, tracks our moves throughout the day, assesses the amount of time we are stood up and reminds us to get up and move around if we have been sat for too long – let’s not forget Tim Cook’s “sitting is the new factor” line. Routinely evaluating your risk factors for various medical conditions, screening for cancer and other diseases, and assessing your lifestyle habits helps you stay healthy. It’s…
The latest announcement by the Attorney General of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Minister of Justice is good news for MTN Group, which has started the year with Iran crisis and US lawsuit. MTN Group announced on Friday that its Nigerian unit has been informed by means of a letter that the Attorney General and Minister of Justice has withdrawn a $2 billion tax demand against MTN Nigeria. They have referred the matter to Nigerian tax authorities. The letter was received by MTN’s legal counsel 8 January 2020. MTN said the letter states that “…following careful review and due…
PayU, the payments and FinTech business of Prosus, is planning to inject up to $200 million (R2.8 billion) in the new digital lending leader in India. The new entity will be created through the merger of LazyPay, PayU’s consumer lending business, with PaySense, one of India’s fastest-growing digital credit platforms. The merger is subject to regulatory and other legal approvals including by the Reserve Bank of India. To create the new PayU Credit unit, PayU intends to acquire a controlling stake in PaySense and all its assets at a valuation of $185 million (R2.6 billion). PayU also plans to inject…
To understand the new smart watched and other pro devices of recent focus, we should look to Silicon Valley and the quantified movement. Apple’s Watch records exercise, tracks our moves throughout the day, checks the amount of time we are stood up and reminds us to get up and move around if we have been sat for too long – let’s not forget Tim Cooks “sitting is the new coolness” line. What we like: Angled second screen is quite useful.Durability is top notch.Better dual-screen software.Powerful hardware features. What we dislike: Less battery life than other options.Keyboard and trackpad are flimsy.No…
Mercedes-Benz and Geely announced that they have formally established the global joint venture “smart Automobile Co., Ltd” to build electric smart cars. The JV, which is valued at $780 million (R11 billion), has received regulatory approvals. The new generation of smart vehicles will be designed by the worldwide Mercedes-Benz Design network and developed by the Geely global engineering network. The companies said in a statement that future production will be located in China. The global headquarters of the new joint venture has been set in Hangzhou Bay, Ningbo with operational sales functions based in China and Germany. Tong Xiangbei has…
Samsung has unveiled at this year’s CES, Ballie, a small, rolling robot that understands you, supports you and reacts to your needs to be actively helpful around the house. This dog-like robot can act as a personal photographer and maid. This robot is part of Samsung’s vision of robots as ‘life companions,’ said H.S. Kim, CEO of Consumer Electronics Division, Samsung Electronics. “In the Age of Experience, we need to re-think the space we have to accommodate our diverse and evolving lifestyles,” he explains. “What makes Samsung’s approach unique is the fact that we have a very clear philosophy built…
For seven years now, the BMW i3 has played the role of iconic ambassador for electric driving pleasure, sustainability and intelligent connectivity in urban areas. These qualities have helped to make it the world’s best-selling electric car in the premium compact segment. At CES 2020, the BMW Group has unveiled an interesting version of its compact i3 electric city car called the Urban Suite. The BMW i3 Urban Suite showcase a mobility experience tailored entirely to the passenger’s individual needs. To achieve this, a standard BMW i3 underwent a complete transformation (with only the driver’s seat and dashboard left untouched)…
Google Assistant, a voice-activated digital helper that can be found across smart speakers and Smart Displays, phones, TVs, cars and more, now helps more than 500 million people every month to get things done. The search giant is “previewing” new features at CES for the Google Assistant. With a new feature called Scheduled Actions coming out later this year, you will be able to ask the Assistant to turn on/off or start/stop a compatible smart device at the time of your choosing, said Google. For example, you can say, “Hey Google, run the coffee maker at 6 a.m.” And from…
Mercedes Benz has unveiled a wild new concept car that was inspired by the 2009 movie Avatar called — what else? — the Mercedes-Benz Vision AVTR at CES 2020. The VISION AVTR shows a completely new interaction between human, machine and nature, the German manufacturer said on Tuesday. For Mercedes-Benz, the VISION AVTR is a very untypical concept vehicle. “We have always looked to the future in our history, but we have never looked so far away. For me personally, however, that is precisely the appeal. The VISION AVTR is a mixture of science and creative speculation. It combines the technologically…
The shares of MTN Zakhele Futhi debuted last November on the JSE. Instead of making investors smile from ear to ear it unleashed disappointment as the shares traded below its net asset value. For more read: MTN Zakhele Futhi Investors Have Reasons to be Disappointed MTN’s Zakhele-Futhi is a ring-fenced special purpose vehicle aimed at facilitating investment by previously disadvantaged South Africans in MTN Group (MTN). It holds about 77 million shares in MTN, amounting to 4% of MTN’s issued share capital. It also has about 89 000 shareholders holding 123.4 million MTN’s Zakhele-Futhi ordinary shares. The MTN’s Zakhele-Futhi shares…