tech news africa
How COVID-19 Has Changed E-Learning Forever
Image sourced from Entrepreneur. E-learning has changed. Much of this change is due to COVID-19, and there’s no going back to the way we were before, however, many organisations may want to do so. “COVID arrived and new technology came to the fore – like Zoom, Meets, Teams and so on. How did you upskill your people on it? Were they ready for it? Are you teaching people to get the best out of things like LinkedIn?” says Michael Gullan, CEO of corporate e-learning consultancy G&G Advocacy. “Executives may not be as equipped to deal with online networking now that physical networking events aren’t as common anymore. Can your C-Suite execs use these tools? Can your sales team?” Companies can no longer afford to see their e-learning as a grudge purchase or an afterthought, says Gullan. “Tha...
SA, Nigeria & Kenya: Top E-Commerce Drivers in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sourced from Legit.ng /* custom css */ .tdi_4_e6c.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_e6c.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } A recent Visa report has shown that the top market contributors to e-commerce in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) over the last 3 years were South Africa, Nigeria, and Kenya, with Ghana also showing growth, having replaced Kenya in the top three contributors in 2020. SSA may be one of the smallest regions of e-commerce globally, but it shows steady growth potential. During lockdown, the region saw new e-commerce users rise by 5% when compared to the active base in SSA the previous year. “The three leading markets in SSA are starting to mature, providing the region with an established foundation and when twinned with the growing penetration of e-commerce, it offers p...
Why Digital Workplaces are the Future of Remote Work
According to Gartner, a global research and advisory company, the digital workplace is a business strategy for promoting employee effectiveness and engagement through a more consumer-like computing environment. Offices are now becoming location and device agnostic and moving to the cloud or following the sun to reduce project duration and increase responsiveness. ITC Infotech, a leading global technology services and solutions provider, led by Business and Technology Consulting, has invested in building a secure digital workplace solution over the years, for a differentiated offering with a proven value proposition. The adoption of the digital workplace by companies across the world is at a nascent stage, but very few understand the relevance of the digital workplace strategy. A digital wo...
Sony Announces New Truly Wireless Headphones in South Africa
/* custom css */ .tdi_4_cd5.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_cd5.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Sony today announces the launch of WF-1000XM4 – its latest truly wireless model in the acclaimed 1000X series. The WF-1000XM4 headphones take industry-leading noise cancelling and audio quality to the next level. Made to fit every ear, offering a personalised experience suitable for every situation. Clearer Sound, Less Noice The WF-1000XM4 provides industry-leading noise cancellation. The newly designed Integrated Processor V1 provides even better noise cancellation. Specially developed by Sony, the Integrated Processor V1 takes the noise cancellation performance of Sony’s acclaimed QN1e chip and goes even further. Improved noise-cancelling performance and Bluetooth ‘System on Ch...
Bolt Kenya Goes Green With New Electric Motorbikes, Scooters
Image sourced from Techweez. /* custom css */ .tdi_4_66b.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_66b.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } On-demand transportation service Bolt, once known as Taxify, has unveiled a series of new branded electric scooters, and e-motorbikes. The company is pushing for greener, more environmentally-minded transport as it hurls itself into Kenya’s food delivery market. This new initiative is geared towards reducing Bolt’s environmental footprint, write Techweez. It likewise will also fulfil the demand for lighter, smarter modes of transport that are less expensive to maintain. The new move will eliminate challenges like fluctuating fuel prices, the most significant operating cost for drivers. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_6cc.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_...
Telkom Launches Africa’s First Virtual Banking Card with Ukheshe
Image sourced from My Broadband /* custom css */ .tdi_4_066.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_066.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Telkom has launched Africa’s first Mastercard virtual card for use on WhatsApp, enabling Telkom Pay customers to make e-commerce payments. This move is expected to empower millions of South Africans – even those without a bank account – to access the digital economy and transact online. Telkom Pay /* custom css */ .tdi_3_64f.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_64f.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Launched in 2020, Telkom Pay is a digital payments wallet that enables its users to make and receive payments using WhatsApp on their mobile phone. With the addition of the Mastercard virtual (non-plastic) card to the wallet, users can now make ...
7 Most Important New Features Coming to iOS 15
Sourced from Macworld. /* custom css */ .tdi_4_6ce.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_6ce.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Apple has unveiled a bevy of brand new features coming with its iOS 15 update during is annual WWDC event, live-streamed yesterday. The new software features include upgrades to FaceTime, Maps, Weather App, Messages, Photos and more. Here are the 7 most important updates and new features shipping with iOS 15: /* custom css */ .tdi_3_6cf.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_6cf.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } 1. Spatial Audio is coming to FaceTime Apple announced its surround sound-like spatial audio feature last year for its AirPods Pro. Now the feature is coming to iPhone with the company’s new iOS 15 update and set to be launching with Apple’s ...
Gen-Z is SA’s Fastest Growing Group of Online Shoppers at 218%
Courtesy of Raw Pixel. Image sourced from Robosoft Technologies. /* custom css */ .tdi_4_211.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_211.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } By harnessing the power of social media, Gen Z is driving a new wave of the e-commerce boom in South Africa. Apps including Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, which tailor content to the user’s interests and behaviour, have allowed this new generation of spenders to create a personalised shopping mall experience – online. Gen-Z Takes Shopping Online /* custom css */ .tdi_3_f0e.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_f0e.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } According to data sourced by online payment gateway PayFast, the fastest-growing group of local online shoppers in SA are the Gen Z’s, aged between 18 and 24. “Ou...
Cape Town Tech Startup Secures $14.5-Million More in Funding
“In emerging-market megacities, hundreds of millions of people use public transport to get where they need to go. Before WhereIsMyTransport, there was no central source of data for these networks, despite their size, scale, and importance,” reads a blurb on the startup’s official website. “WhereIsMyTransport helps people understand mobility in emerging-market megacities. We’re trusted by industry leaders like Google, the World Bank, and WSP.” Founded in Cape Town in 2015, the tech startup focusing on mobility creates data maps for formal and informal public transport networks in cities and uses this data and tech to improve the public transport experiences of commuters. WhereIsMyTransport hopes to make public commutes more reliable, predictable, safe, inclusive and more accessible to indiv...
Offline Device Locking: Protect Your Financed Devices against Non-payment with NuovoPay
Sourced from Travellers With the advent of 4G technology and the promising 5G technology, smartphones have offered people a gateway to enter the digital economy and get socio-economic benefits. According to Statista, in 2020 global smartphone unit sales for end-users were 1.38 billion. This shows a strong demand for smartphones, which is largely driven by consumers from developed countries. The consumer in developed countries has easy access to smartphone finance, affordable loans, alternative forms of credit scoring, etc. This necessarily does not hold true for certain emerging markets such as Sub-Saharan Africa or South Asia. According to Newzoo Global Mobile Market Report 2018, Smartphone penetration in South Africa was 35.5%, Vietnam was 37.7%, Indonesia was 27.4% as compared to 83% an...
FaceTime Releasing for Windows and Android
Image sourced from The Verge. /* custom css */ .tdi_4_b24.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_b24.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } During its WWDC keynote, California-based tech monolith Apple has announced that its FaceTime app, once only available on its iPhones and Mac computers for iOS/MacOS, is releasing on the web and will be available for users on Android and Windows. It seems Apple is taking on Zoom and the video calling service market with this move. FaceTime will also now allow users to send and receive links to scheduled calls. Call links can be shared with people in advance. A release date has yet to be announced, according to The Verge. However, it is expected to be included in the iOS 15 update coming in spring. The new web version of FaceTime will either be availa...
Cybersecurity and Data Protection Laws Urgently Needed Across Africa
The pandemic has driven home the high value of personal data to the global economy, while also highlighting its vulnerability to abuse and attack. In response, governments around the world have been reviewing their data privacy and protection laws and regulations, including in South Africa and Ghana. Global cybersecurity firm Kaspersky recently noted that cyberattacks are set to rise in African countries, especially in the key financial centres of South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria. The cybersecurity firm noted that rapidly evolving digital techniques had led to an increased risk of Advanced Persistent Threats and hacking-for-hire events in Africa. South Africa In South Africa, the Cybercrimes and Cybersecurity Act was signed into law by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in early June 2...
