Author: Gugu Lourie
Touch screens are incorporated into almost all new technologies, from smart-phones, tablet computers and personal gadgets to flat panel televisions and household appliances. This explosion of technology is reliant on a key component: a display that is both transparent and able to conduct electrical charge. By Wallace Wong With the ever increasing volume of devices, the future of such technologies faces substantial hurdles – material availability and raising costs. The most commonly used transparent conducting material comes from limited mineral resources, and despite almost a decade of research there is no clear replacement. Alternatives which are getting some traction include silver…
Absa, one of SA’s big four banks, is in a process of buying a controlling stake in an online life insurance distribution platform, Instant Life, for an undisclosed amount. By Gugu Lourie The transaction will give Absa a 75% stake in Instant Life, online life insurance distribution platform offering life, disability and critical illness cover to qualifying customers. The online insurer was established in 2008 to address a growing market for pure-risk life insurance sold online. The deal is subject to regulatory approvals (including approval from the South African Reserve Bank). “The acquisition of Instant Life will provide Absa with a scalable platform to…
FNB was recently recognised for being the “Most Innovative MVNO” in the Telecoms.com Awards that conferred in London. By Staff Writer “We are extremely proud of this achievement, and it is a testament to our culture of innovation and commitment to providing the best products and services to our customers,” say Shadrack Palmer, Chief Commercial Officer of FNB Connect. In June 2015 FNB became the first bank in South Africa to launch a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO). The take up of the service has been nothing short of extraordinary and at the beginning of November, FNB announced that…
IT entrepreneur Patrick Palmi is encouraging South Africans to make a free calls on their mobile phones in exchange for listening to an advertisement from a consumer brand. By Gugu Lourie The owner of justpalm.com has created a platform called Chichi Sponsored Call Marketing that enables brands to give away instant airtime for free in exchange for listening to a promotion. The platform will help brands to reach new people. The airtime giveaways may also assist brands to build loyalty with customers, who cannot afford airtime and relies on free WhatsApp calls and SMS to communicate with friends and loved…
by Gugu Lourie Instead of waiting to see a cashier at a glass booth, Absa customers at selected branches will be greeted at the door by staff armed with iPads and other devices, who will answer questions and help them perform banking operations that were previously confined to teller-based services. The new service is being piloted in seventeen of the bank’s branches across Gauteng including the newly opened Verdi Centre branch in Northcliff, Johannesburg as well as Irene branch in Pretoria. The bank said the iPad offering brings four stand-alone insurance products that make legal, life and funeral cover accessible…
For companies who have come to rely on SIM cards for machine-to-machine communication and other enterprise-level solutions, fraud can be crippling. Fortunately, there are several preventative measures decision-makers can take to minimise the risk. By Hein Koen, co-founder of Flickswitch Any company with a sizeable SIM base has experienced fraud in some way – it is one of those things that often gets hidden in the plethora of bills a company receives. We have seen a few cases each totalling well over a R1-million. To say that SIM fraud can put a small company out of business is not an…
Cell C is pleased to announce that 1 December brings the commercial launch of its LTE service to customers in the Western Cape, in time for the festive season. By Staff Writer “I am exceptionally proud of the team for getting the Western Cape up and running so quickly. The first phase of 280 sites across the Western Cape is now complete and ready for customers to enjoy,” says Cell C CEO Jose Dos Santos. Western Cape LTE customers will also be treated to the same launch offer that those in Gauteng and KwaZulu Natal received. The first 1000 customers…
Ahead of the festive season, Incredible Connection has introduced a new range of tablets – Click – exclusive to the retailer. By Staff Writer What’s more, the retailer will also be introducing a 3G enabled tablet aimed at children between ages 3 and 10 with a custom software interface that specifically caters to children – the new ClickTab Kids 7. “As consumers become more reliant on mobile devices for their digital lifestyle and business requirements, the ClickTab range delivers on our promise and commitment to providing consumers with a variety of options to meet their diverse needs – all…
From 2003, the South African government has been engaged in an interesting dance with FOSS – free open source software. By Phehello Mofokeng, director of Geko Labs, a Johannesburg-based ERP integration and implementation firm In 2007, after a range of consultative meetings and other forms of flirtation with industry experts, Chief Information Officers and other members of the public, a formal policy – to the effect that South African government will adopt open source software wherever possible – was officially adopted. The idea behind this policy was that, where possible government should avoid expensive proprietary software licensing and the collusive…
Traditional retailers and online stores are gearing up for Black Friday, which is likely to give the SA retail sector a pre-Christmas boost. By Dane McDonald, NewsAgency Black Friday originated in the US and is the Friday after the American Thanksgiving when retailers sell their merchandise at massive discounts. The term is historically known in the American retail industry as the day on which business began to turn a profit (in the black) after having operated at a loss (in the red) since January. It is also regarded as the official start of the Christmas shopping season. Checkers was the first…