Author: Gugu Lourie
Both Apple and Google use their developer conferences to introduce updates to their mobile operating systems. Google IO, held last month, introduced Google’s latest version “N” of Android, along with new apps. By David Glance Apple has done the same this week at its World Wide Developer Conference, introducing iOS 10. While both Apple and Google are likely to be monitoring each others’ releases to stay competitive, there is a big difference underlying the Android and iOS approaches to feature development that means their respective focus will also differ. Google has little control over hardware and the rate at which OS…
A US court has this week granted the ZA Central Registry’s (ZACR’s) motion to dismiss all claims against it by DotConnectAfrica Trust (DCA). This is in relation to DCA’s ongoing attempts to stall the public availability of the .africa (dotAfrica) generic Top Level Domain (gTLD). The Californian judge has essentially sent a firm message to DCA that its spurious claims against the ZACR are deficient in law and don’t stand up to proper scrutiny. “As matters currently stand, the next step in these US-based legal proceedings is to wait for the judge to rule on the ZACR’s motion to reconsider…
Charlene takes a picture of her dog with her smartphone and morphs his face onto hers to make a hybrid creature. She sends it to dozens of her friends and acquaintances. By Jennifer Charteris and Sue Gregory Over the next 23-hour period, 70 of Charlene’s friends view it. Many reply with pictures of their own, some clutching dogs or cats, some with hybrid faces themselves. Some have accompanying text: “Aww weird!” or “That’s an improvement!” It sounds like typical teenage high jinks, and it’s all done via Snapchat, the ephemeral messaging app where posts are automatically deleted after a few seconds, or…
Today we’re updating the resources we offer to people around the world who may be experiencing self-injury or suicidal thoughts, as well as the support we offer to their concerned friends and family members. By Antigone Davis, Global Head of Safety and Jennifer Guadagno, Researcher at Facebook Developed in collaboration with mental health organizations and with the input from people who have personal experience with self-injury and suicide, these tools first launched in the US with the help of Forefront, Lifeline, and Save.org. Today, we are rolling them out around the world in collaboration with local partners and in all languages…
Prima Interactive, distributors of interactive games and products in South Africa, today announced a four day price drop on Xbox One consoles. The substantial discount of up to R1 500 on Xbox One consoles will be available to South Africans this week from Thursday, 16 to Sunday 19 June 2016. What this means is that the Xbox One 500GB console with game, will retail for a recommended selling price of R4 999 and the Xbox One 1TB consol with game for a recommended selling price of R5 499. These bundles will be available from all leading South African retailers and…
DataProphet, a Cape Town-based machine learning startup, is looking to bolster its innovative offering across borders and industries alike after Yellowwoods Capital Holdings acquired a significant shareholding in the South African firm. By Gugu Lourie Global investment and private equity firm Yellowwoods Capital Holdings is a member of the European-based global investment and private equity focused Yellowwoods Group. Its local investments include Hollard Insurance, Clientele Limited and Nando’s, amongst others. “This investment is a testament to the team we have built, to our capabilities and ultimately to the field as a whole – all of which is very exciting,” DataProphet’s…
In an interview with Techfinancials, CEO Eileen Wilton says Gijima wants to continue to develop its Human Capital Management business. The business, which is relatively not well-known, plays in the recruitment and placement space. It also develops much needed-skills. By Gugu Lourie “Human Capital Management Business is a key focus for us going into the future and our human capital business is a very special business for Gijima,” Wilton told Techfinancials. “We want to make a sustainable difference and sustainable difference is about how you can contribute [solutions] to [tackle] core problems that are being faced by South Africans.”…
South Africa’s independent fibre operator FibreCo Telecommunications has trained 200 fibre technicans to help uplift the level of skills for the maintenance of fibre optic infrastructure in the country. By Staff Writer The training programme, known as TechTrain and started in 2012, aims to build capacity in the fibre sector and is accredited by the Fibre Optic Association (FOA), whose certification is recognised in the fibre networking industry worldwide. “These young people are the future leaders within our industry. We want to motivate you to be go-getters with a will to succeed and hope that TechTrain will put you on…
VOIP Service provider Otel Telecoms announced today that they have entered into an agreement with Chinese-based Zycoo to distribute their solutions within South Africa. Zycoo is a developer and manufacturer of IP (Internet Protocol) unified communications solutions. “Our commitment to delivering quality IP solutions worldwide means we only partner with distributors who are the best at what they do,” Zycoo CEO, Hongzhen Wan, said in a statement. The company’s flagship product that is finding growing favour with South African businesses keen to scale down IP-based voice and data costs without comprising on quality is the CooVox V2. The product’s focus is on…
As organisations progress through the analytics maturity curve – from descriptive, to diagnostic, to predictive, to prescriptive – they can build the systems to enable rapid transformation. By Gavin Holme, country manager, Africa, Wipro and Rudraksh Bhawalkar, practice manager, Analytics, Africa, Wipro. Boardrooms in every industry are abuzz with concepts such as data science, big data, advanced analytics, machine learning and artificial intelligence to mention a few. In an increasingly digital world, it seems there are endless opportunities to better use one’s data – to understand customers, optimise operations, and strategically plan for the future. But, how do organisations get started on the…