Author: Gugu Lourie
Pan-African telecoms group Liquid Telecom, a subsidiary of Econet Global, has refreshed the leadership of its recently acquired telco, Neotel, as the South African-based firm prepares to compete aggressively against its rivals – Telkom, Vodacom, MTN, Cell C. Raj Jandu – who has been a CFO FOR Liquid Telecom in the east Africa region since 2013, overseeing the financial management and growth of the company’s operations in several key markets – will become Neotel CFO. Jandu also served as CFO of Altech Technologies in east Africa for five years, he made the switch to Liquid Telecom after it acquired Altech’s…
This car uses an app as a key. It could be a first car you get through a subscription. It is a shareable car via an app. You can also borrow the car. Meet the 03 Concept car that has been unveiled at the Shanghai Motor Show this week. The car is manufactured by Lync & Co, a Chinese Geely-owned brand, and with Volvo’s engineering resources. The car will only be available through online sales and home delivery services, but also subscription model. What does the car entail? The car is always online via Wi-Fi hotspot, so you can connect…
by Staff Writer Phonefinder.co.za, a local online cellular contract comparison engine, has expanded its offering to further help consumers save on their monthly bills. According to Lance Krom, founder and managing director at Phonefinder, the company’s established and successful business model, which leverages its systems that enable consumers to compare cellular contract options, and its integrated online sales and marketing strategy that generates leads for the mobile network operators (MNO), has the potential to scale well across numerous other industry verticals. “Since launching in 2012, Phonefinder.co.za has helped thousands of consumers find the best cell phone contract deal based on…
by Staff Writer The Jaguar F-PACE has been named as the world car of year and most beautiful car in the world t the New York International Auto Show. The performance SUV is the fastest selling model Jaguar has produced and is only the second vehicle to claim the historic double in the 13-year history of the World Car Awards. To win the pair of trophies, the F-PACE saw off the competition in a vote of 75 influential motoring journalists from 24 countries. The F-PACE triumphed over finalists the Audi Q5 and Volkswagen Tiguan to claim the 2017 World Car…
by Staff Writer The Mercedes-Benz is teasing customers with the new S-Class, which aims to elevate Intelligent Drive to the next level, ahead of its launch at the Auto Shanghai in China (19 to 28 April). The teaser images is showing the new Mercedes-Benz S-Class’ front fascia and the interior. The top-of-the-range model of Mercedes-Benz takes another big step towards autonomous driving and elevates Intelligent Drive to the next level. The new S-Class has a DISTRONIC Active Proximity Control and Active Steer Assist, which provides even more comfortable support for the driver to keep a safe distance and steer. Mercedes-Benz…
by Staff Writer BMW is on track to sell more than 100 000 electric vehicles in 2017 after the German carmaker announced on Wednesday good sales for the electrified cars. BMW is targeting to sell 100, 000 electric-powered cars this year as its battle with Mercedes-Benz for the number one spot as the leading premium brand automaker. The carmaker announced on Wednesday that it has sold almost 20,000 electrified vehicles worldwide in the first quarter of 2017. BMW launched the BMW i3 in November 2013. The Munich-based firm said in a statement that since the beginning of the year, almost…
by Staff Writer Walking down Melrose Arch wanting to buy something at your favourite clothing retailer, such as Tiger of Sweden, and trying to locate it to get that good deal on those fancy suit? Do not just wonder around the mall. Your mobile phone banking app may be able to help you locate that Tiger of Sweden shop as quickly as possible with ease. South Africa’s most innovative bank FNB has launched this week, the eBucks Partner locator on the FNB App uses augmented reality technology to help customers find nearby eBucks retail partners. “Augmented reality overlays retail partners…
by Staff Writer Africa’s tech and ecommerce giant Naspers has injected close to R1 billion in Takealot Online. Naspers said in a statement that the investment underlines continued commitment to Takealot and confidence in the potential of South Africa’s ecommerce sector. Takealot boasts a stable of businesses including Takealot.com, South Africa’s leading general etailer, Superbalist.com, the fashion etailer, Mr D Food, South Africa’s largest restaurant food delivery service, and Mr D Courier, its point to point courier service. Retail remains a highly competitive market in South Africa, and online retail accounts for less than 2% of the non-grocery retail market…
by Gugu Lourie The car of the future will turn your smart road into a fuel station. This car of the future also promises new benefits for society. It will be able to power your home and office as well as enhance vehicle safety, energy efficiencies and integration of self-driving technology. That is the undertaking from Japanese carmaker Nissan, which has promised to unlock the “true potential” in cities through self-driving cars and zero emission. The carmaker will make it possible to connect cars to social infrastructures, such as roads, information and electric power networks. This will ultimately lead to reduced…
by Staff Writer A Q&A with TFG CIO Brent Curry TFG ecommerce has partnered with several tech start-ups, including Wumdrop which enabled TFG to launch the Deliver 2 Me service, and Pargo which allows TFG online shoppers to collect their parcels at a point most convenient for them. What attracts TFG to start-ups? We know that exceptional tech talent usually prefers working in the edgier start-up space, rather than at a big corporate where their freedom and creativity is more likely to be stifled. So working with start-ups enables us to access that very scarce talent. Start-ups offer solutions that…
by Staff Writer The free Wi-Fi service at FNB has already been used by more than 200 000 customers by January 2017, South Africa’s banking group said on Monday. Last May, FNB embarked on a journey to transform the design of its branches and started offering free Wi-Fi at a new branch at the Mall of Africa. The bank promised that free Wi-Fi will be a standard offering across branches with the new design. The bank announced on Monday that the number of FNB branches with active free WI-FI connection has reached 383 as at February 2017. “By January 2017…
By Staff Writer PHNX, a South African-based specialist property development marketing agency, has launched a Virtual and Augmented Reality property app for Harcourts Platinum. The app is the first of its kind to be developed in Africa for the property market. Virtual reality is a powerful tool in property, especially when selling off-plan. It depicts photo-realistic vision of a furnished property and allows prospective buyers to envisage their ideal lifestyle in a home that is still to be built, as well as creating a completely immersive experience for foreign investors. The app allows users to take a virtual walk through…
by Ben Dickson Two days ago one of the worst crimes against humanity in recent years took place in Syria. The government of Bashar al-Assad carried out an aerial bombing on the town of Khan Sheikhun, targeting defenseless residents of the town with the sarin nerve agent. At least 70 people were killed—tormented to death—among them children. Meanwhile, social media platforms didn’t think this would be something I should know about. Facebook insisted I should rather be following funny animal videos and other silly posts on pages I’ve liked (TBH, I don’t use the platform very much, and I’m happy about…
by Nic Cheeseman There was a time that South Africa looked very different to the rest of Africa. The “rainbow nation” was seen by many – including a lot of its own citizens – to be exceptional, having more in common with the developed states of Europe than some of the countries on its own doorstep. But, in the wake of a series of destabilising corruption scandals, financial mismanagement and the incompetent leadership of President Jacob Zuma, this is no longer the case. It’s time therefore to look to the rest of the continent for evidence on how the crisis within…
by Bosch Saving lives and preventing accidents: no, it’s not some sort of costumed superhero, but the connected car in the year 2025. Together with the Prognos research institute, Bosch has looked into the future and assessed what connected vehicles will be able to accomplish using technologies that by then will be wide-spread: highly automated driving, emergency braking assistants, and smartphone integration. The study, which looked at Germany, the U.S., and China, found that by 2025, the implications of connectivity will have noticeable effects on every driver. “Today, computers, smartphones, and the internet are part of everyday life in our…
by Bradley Elliott, director of digital agency Platinum Seed Artificial intelligence (AI) is commonly associated with science fiction films and some distant future scenario where the world is run by psychotic robots. However scary it may seem, we are already interacting with self-teaching technology in our everyday lives. Major corporations are increasingly turning to smart machines to make their businesses more impactful and relevant to their customers. Gaining a global competitive edge is vital to the survival of any commercial entity, especially in a world of increasing product parity. Artificial intelligence, or machine learning (the ability of a computers…
by Staff Writer South Africa’s tech firm Vox has announced that its shareholders have approved R550 million investment earmarked to enable the company to prioritise three key areas of the business. Jacques du Toit, CEO of Vox, said in a statement that the investment will be directed into extending the Vox fibre rollout through its wholly owned subsidiary Frogfoot Networks, bolster job creation and improve efficiencies through enhanced automation. “The capital injection into our operations endorses our conversion strategy. We are moving away from being just an Internet service provider (ISP) into a Telco that provides connectivity and integrated services.…
by Jannie Rossouw This article was first published last year as South Africa faced a possible downgrade by rating agencies Current developments in South Africa are reminiscent of events in 1985. In that year South Africa experienced high costs from currency depreciation and adverse political developments. At the time the country faced increasing international sanctions and isolation, while the exchange rate of the rand remained under severe pressure, recording sharp falls in the international value of the rand. South Africa’s financial stability was put under severe pressure after the infamous Rubicon speech of then State President P W Botha. Before the…
It’s common knowledge that education systems in Africa is in crisis, with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) ranking countries on the continent near the bottom. Realising how vital education is in shaping the future of our country, two dads in Cape Town have decided to take action by developing edly: An innovative new cloud-based platform that’s aiming to raise the standards of education by lightening the load for stressed teachers. It was developed throught their company DataDIGEST, a Western Cape-based software developer. Edly is a first on the continent and DataDIGEST CEO David de Villiers says: “We’re…
by Gugu Lourie During our trip, this week to Japan for the #NissanIntelligentMobility Tour 2017, journalists from several countries from Africa, Middle East, India, and Latin America region undertook a series of engagements to get a better understanding of Nissan’s various innovations and smart solutions. Guided by the vision of mobility for all, Nissan has embarked upon a strategy to deliver a comprehensive series of innovations that will make transportation safer, smarter, and more enjoyable with the goal of achieving zero emissions and zero fatalities. Nissan is bringing many of these innovations from luxury segments to compact and high volume…
by Staff Writer Samsung is turning a phone into a personal computer (PC). The smartphone manufacturer has launched Samsung DeX, which provides an Android-based desktop-like experience. This enables users to seamlessly access apps, edit documents, browse the web, watch videos, reply to messages and more, directly from the smartphone on a larger display, keyboard, and mouse. To start working, users simply insert their Samsung smartphone into the DeX Station, which connects the smartphone to an HDMI compatible monitor and connects to any Bluetooth-enabled, USB or RF-type keyboard and mouse. The company said in a statement that Samsung DeX is designed…
by Staff Writer The Galaxy S8 is being used by Samsung to regain customer trust by redefining what’s possible in safety. The Samsung Galaxy S8 delivered new great features. Improved biometrics technologies An iris scanner, fingerprint scanner and facial recognition so users can select a secure biometric authentication method that works best for them. Personal assistant, Bixby We all love to have a personal assistant on our phones and computers, like Siri in iPhone, Assistant in Google, Microsoft’s Cortana, and Amazon’s Alexa. Samsung is introducing Bixby, which is an intelligent interface that will help users get more out of their…
by Staff Writer Samsung has announced a new Samsung Gear 360, a 4K resolution-capable 360-degree camera enabling a user to shoot video and photos in 360 degrees. What’s exciting is that the Gear 360 also offers greater compatibility with iOS devices including the iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus and iPhone SE, as well as Windows and Mac computers. Equipped with 8.4-megapixel image sensors and Bright Lens F2.2 on both dual fisheye lenses, the Gear 360 can create high-resolution images. It leverages Samsung’s innovative technologies and services to seamlessly share, view and edit content. Whether creating…
By Gugu Lourie Is Phuthuma Nhleko, the executive chairman of MTN Group, worth R68.2 million in total remuneration for 2016 financial year? This is a question that will be on the lips of South Africans as they realise that Nhleko was paid R30 million in salaries for 2016 financial year with a R32.2 million bonus, pushing his total remuneration as executive chairman of MTN to more than R68 million. Mind you this figure exclude his fees as a chairman of the mobile phone giant. Nhleko was paid R2.6 million retainer as a chairman, R638 000 for attending meetings, R351 000…
by Martin Hall Late in 2016 Senegal’s Banque Regionale De Marches announced the launch of the eCFA Franc; a cryptocurrency for the countries of the West African Monetary Union – Senegal, Cote d’Ivoire, Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Togo and Guinea-Bissau. This and similar innovations mark the coming of age of a new generation of applications – an Internet of Intelligent Things – that could provide a new infrastructure for economic development across Africa. The Internet of Things is a network of physical devices, vehicles, buildings and other items. They are equipped with electronics, software, sensors and network connectivity so they…