February has arrived and it definitely looks like the ICT and technology sector is picking up. In the news this week, reports are stating that Telkom is looking to cut costs by selling off a section of its mobiles tower’s.
Moving over to Ghana, application developer myApp Inc has dominated MTN’s app challenge with its latest application.
Over in Kenya, Microsoft and the University of Albany’s Center for Technology in Government (CTG) have unveiled a new ICT course for policymakers. Moving over to the social media scene, social media giant Twitter has locked down an apparent Boko Haram Twitter account.
As load shedding has become a daily occurrence, IT News Africa has compiled a list of top tech tips to get you through it, which can be found below.
The team at IT News Africa hopes you have a fantastic weekend. Our top stories of the week can be found below:
News
Telkom considering sale of mobile phone towers in South Africa
According to reports, South African telecommunications provider Telkom, is looking to cut costs on its mobile service offering by selling off a section of mobile phone towers – in South Africa. Read More.
Ghana: Buzztrick dominates MTN app challenge
MTN Ghana has revealed the overall winner of its latest Apps Challenge. According to the company, an application developed by myApp Inc, dubbed “Buzztrick”, dominated the challenge. Read More.
IFC set to grow Mobile Money usage in Uganda
Cignifi has inked an agreement with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), which is aimed at expanding the delivery and usage of mobile financial services in Uganda. Read More.
Kenya: Microsoft unveils ICT course for policymakers
Microsoft and an American-based university have partnered to offer executive level training programs to Kenyan government leaders. Microsoft has collaborated with University of Albany’s Center for Technology in Government (CTG) to execute its School of Government (SOG) program, an initiative by Microsoft 4Afrika. Read More.
MTN Group appoints new Group Chief Business Risk Officer
MTN Group has appointed Suren Sooklal to the role of Group Chief Business Risk Officer, effective immediately. Read More.
Twitter locks down Boko Haram social media account
Social media giant Twitter has locked down and suspended an alledged Twitter account that was purportedly set up by Nigerian terrorist group Boko Haram. Read More.
Opinions
Gartner: “IoT to make an impact over next three years”
More than 40 per cent of organisations expect the Internet of Things (IoT) to transform their business or offer significant new revenue or cost-savings opportunities in the short term (over the next three years), rising to 60 per cent in the long term (more than five years), according to a recent survey by Gartner, Inc. Read More.
Digital transformation essential for automotive industry
The automotive sector is currently faced with a number of challenges. These are driven by trends such as the rise of new growth markets, changing consumer behaviour, an increasing need for greater fuel economy, new opportunities presented by connectivity, the emergence of new technology, and more. Read More.
Interviews
IFS targets Africa as key growth market
Alastair Sorbie is currently CEO and President of IFS, a position he has held since 2006. Sorbie joined the Swedish ERP solutions provider as managing director in 1997, when IFS entered the UK market. Watch the interview here.
Top Feature
Overcome load shedding with these top tech tips
As load shedding is becoming a regular occurrence in South Africa, IT News Africa has put together a few tech tips to get you through the load shedding cycles. Read More.
Top Lists
Top 10 richest countries in Africa rated
Africa is home to some of the richest countries in the world, in part due to its oil-rich soil and human capital. With GDPs going up as high as $594.257 Billion. Read More.
Gadgets and Gaming
PlayStation Plus February 2015 Lineup Revealed
The PlayStation Plus Free Game Lineup for February 2015 is looking good. Not only do we get to venture into the epic world of Transistor on the PlayStation 4, but we also get to slip into the shadows with Thief on the PlayStation 3. Read More.
Dying Light Review
Techland has brought out some great gaming titles in the past, with the inclusion of some not so great titles. Some of the more notable titles would be Dead Island, Dead Island: Riptide, as well as Call of Juarez: Bound By Blood. Fast forward to 2015 and developer Techland, along with publisher Warner Bros. have now released Dying Light. Read More.
Dell unveils 4K Ultra HD 15-Inch Mobile Workstation
According to device manufacturer Dell, it has been listening to consumer feedback and has responded by incorporating new features into its flagship mobile workstation the Dell Precision M3800. The company revealed that the device now has a 4K Ultra HD touch display option, Thunderbolt 2 technology and offers an Ubuntu-based developer edition. Read More.
Dying Light physical release date unveiled
echland has revealed the updated global launch dates for Dying Light. The game will have a worldwide digital release on PC of January 27, 2015. In North and South America, the digital release and physical copies for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One will be available at the same day. Read More.
Review: Asus Fonepad 7
ablets and smart devices are evolving. While standard tablet devices offer users the ability to download apps, surf the internet, play games, take photos as well as make VOIP calls… very few actually offer users the ability to make and receive phone calls using a carrier SIM card. Asus has now met this demand with its latest low-cost tablet/smartphone hybrid device. Read More.
Review: Captain Toad Treasure Tracker
Nintendo is really treating gamers to some spectacular titles lately. While Nintendo did have a bit of a bad run during the launch phase of the Wii U, it is great to see that the console has risen from strength to strength over the past year. Nintendo’s latest title to hit the Wii U, which comes in the form Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, is one of the Nintendo Wii U’s highlights of 2014. Read More.
Review: Dragon Age Inquisition
The Dragon Age series has seen its share of ups and downs with Dragon Age: Origins being a great first entry while Dragon Age 2 unfortunately fell somewhat short in some areas. After much anticipation, Dragon Age: Inquisition has been released and looks to right some wrongs while still delivering a thoroughly enjoyable RPG experience. Read More.
Review: Xbox One – Then and Now
Microsoft’s Xbox One console caused a great deal of hype and controversy in the gaming industry when it was first announced. Microsoft leaned towards enforcing Digital Rights Management (DRM) in the early stages; however, the company saw fit to reverse the decision in order to capture its audience once again. While Microsoft hit a massive hole in the road with DRM, the truth is… that was then, and this is now. The Xbox One has been around for just over a year, but has the console moved from strength-to-strength over that year? Read More.
Review: Nextbook 2-in-1 Windows Tablet
When looking at the average price of a Tablet, Smartphone, or even a Laptop you can expect to come across devices prices that don’t essentially fit the budget. As Africa is becoming more mobile driven consumers as well as businesses are looking towards cheaper, yet fully functional devices. Read More.
Darryl Linington
