At the next Selling to the CIO Masterclass, set to take place on 29 – 30 June 2016 at Henley Business School in Johannesburg, attendees will learn key strategies to successfully win over the CIO.
In addition, leading CIOs will offer essential tips on how to communicate strategic and operational value and how to earn trusted advisor status. To find out more about this spectacular masterclass click here.
The team at IT News Africa hopes you have a great weekend. The top stories of the week can be found below.
News
MTN to include World Panel SunStream in new bundle
MTN South Africa launched its new promotional package featuring World Panel’s SunStream which allows users to stream electricity from the sun directly into their mobile devices. The new bundle was announced at an event in Mthatha with executives from MTN and World Panel Inc. present. Read More.
Facebook to use Artificial Intelligence to Help Blind People ‘See’ Social Media
While visual content provides a fun and expressive way for people to communicate online, consuming and creating it poses challenges for people who are blind or severely visually impaired. As a result, some people may feel frustrated and excluded because they cannot fully participate in the conversations around photos that take place on Facebook. Read More.
Orange invests in Africa Internet Group
Orange has announced the acquisition of a 75 million-euro equity interest in Africa Internet Group, joining AXA, Goldman Sachs and longstanding investors MTN Group, Millicom and Rocket Internet. Read More.
NEC South Atlantic Cable System to connect Africa and South America
Angola Cables S.A and NEC Corporation have announced that the contract to build the South Atlantic Cable System (SACS), the first subsea fiber optic cable system ever to connect Africa and South America in the southern hemisphere has come into force. Read More.
WhatsApp implements full end-to-end encryption
WhatsApp has revealed, via a company blog post, that it has rolled out full end-to-end encryption across its messaging app. Essentially, this means that every call, message, photo, video, file and voice message sent over the app is encrypted by default, including group chats. Read More.
Uber South Africa reveals reasons behind rate cuts
This past week Uber had recently revealed that, as of Thursday 07 April 2016, the company would be reducing rates on UberX in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban by up to 20%. While this does make the service more attractive to consumers, more than 200 Uber drivers have called for strike action in Cape Town, South Africa over the company’s proposed tariff amendments. Read More.
Microsoft South Africa launches SQL Server 2016
Microsoft South Africa launched SQL Server 2016 locally, which is the data platform built with advanced predictive analytics capabilities. Read More.
Top Opinions & Features
Forget the Smart City, time to think about the smart Smart Citizen
By 2050, it’s expected that nearly 80% of South Africans will be living in urban areas. This massive acceleration in rural-to-urban migration was highlighted recently by Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Deputy Minister Andries Nel. Read More.
SA online retail to pass 1% of total retail in 2016
For the first time since the dawn of e-commerce in South Africa, online retail in this country will reach 1% of overall retail during 2016. This is the most significant finding of the Online Retail in South Africa 2016 report, released today by World Wide Worx. Read More.
Optimising mobile data usage in Africa is key
With the majority of consumers in Africa accessing the internet via mobile devices, the issue of how to optimise data usage to effectively manage costs has become a major topic of discussion. Read More.
Top 5 IT headaches solved by the cloud
Companies across Africa and the world are discovering that cloud computing is a pretty neat way to procure the services necessary to do business. Cost consistently comes up as the primary advantage of cloud solutions – but they have many benefits beyond the price tag. Read More.
Gadgets and Gaming
Huawei Mate 8 launched in South Africa
At the launch event Charlene Munilall, General Manager for Huawei Consumer Business Group SA stated that: “The Mate 8 represents the pinnacle of style, innovation and ground-breaking technology that introduces a new style of business. The Mate 8 has set a new standard in style that transcends its beautifully-crafted exterior to deliver a mobile companion that meets the needs of today’s always-connected and sharing user.” Read More.
Huawei unveils P9 smartphone
Huawei Consumer Business Group has unveiled the company’s latest device, the P9 Smartphone. The latest device from Huawei has been created in partnership with Leica Camera AG and is, according to Huawei, the world’s first Leica dual-camera smartphone. Huawei also used the launch event, which was held in London, to introduce its new B3 Talkband wearable wristband. Read More.
South Africa: LG G5 launch date and pricing revealed
As revealed by LG Electronics (LG) at a press conference held in Johannesburg, the company is expecting to launch its latest device – the LG G5 Modular Smartphone – from the 15th of April 2016 in South Africa. Read More.
Quantum Break Review
Developed by Remedy Entertainment and published by Microsoft, Quantum Break is the latest exclusive to hit Xbox One consoles and PCs worldwide. While the title is set only to release on 5 April 2016, we have stepped into the shoes of Jack Joyce, manipulated time, and dropped our review – which can be found below – ahead of the release date. Read the Review.
SEGA Mega Drive Classic Game Console Review
The SEGA Mega Drive Classic Game Console, also known as the Sega Genesis in North America and the Super Aladdin Boy in South Korea, has made its way back to the South African market. Now for those of you who grew up in the late 80s and early 90s will know the original SEGA Mega Drive featured some rather iconic video games titles, which included the likes of: Sonic the Hedgehog, Streets of Rage, Golden Axe, Crack Down, Altered Beast, and Mortal Kombat 1, 2, and 3. Read the Review.
Plants vs Zombies Garden Warfare 2 Review
Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2 is the latest third-person shooter from developer PopCap Games, and publisher Electronic Arts. The latest title from the team is a direct sequel to the popular title Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare. When it comes to new content, Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2 title is jam-packed. The game offers players 14 classes to choose from as well as a multitude of playable characters. Read the Review.
Darryl Linington
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