Author: Staff Reporter

06.12.18

Facebook rolls out fun features for the 2018 FIFA World Cup

BY Staff Reporter 2 MINUTE READ

Social media and networking site, Facebook has together with Messenger introduced new features which celebrates the upcoming 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

The new features will be introduced on both Facebook and its Messenger app, reports Business Tech.

Take a look at the features below:

Show your support with your team colours

On June 13, Facebook users may see an animated message on their News Feed. This message will invite them to share their support by accessing one of the 32 team frames that you can use for your Facebook profile.

Celebrate together with animations

Facebook users will be able to access various animations by using specific phrases linked to the World Cup in their News Feed.

Creative camera effects

For the duration of the tournament, Facebook and Messenger users and FIFA World Cup fans can swipe into their camera to capture images and add effects to it.

Effects

The effects include augmented reality stickers and videos.

Camera

The camera on Facebook and Messenger will be equipped with AR effects where you can add a festive flag wig to your photo or even face paint.

Keepie Uppie game

The keepie uppie game will be added in Messenger and will allow players to send flags and soccer balls to their friends in a chat.

In other FIFA World Cup news, a confident Brazil squad arrived in Russia in the early hours of Monday morning as they set their sights on winning the World Cup for the sixth time.
Neymar and the rest of the team touched down in Sochi, the Black Sea resort city where they will be based during the tournament, just before 3am local time (0000 GMT) on a flight from Vienna.
They left the Austrian capital on Sunday evening after beating their hosts 3-0 in their final friendly ahead of the World Cup, with Neymar among the scorers.
The world’s most expensive player netted on what was his first start since undergoing surgery on a fractured foot in early March, while Gabriel Jesus and Philippe Coutinho scored the other goals against an Austrian side who failed to qualify for the World Cup.
Brazil begin their campaign next Sunday, June 17, when they face Switzerland in Rostov-on-Don.
They will also come up against Costa Rica and Serbia in Group E.

– BUSINESS REPORT ONLINE 

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06.11.18

Vodacom launches Android Go smartphones

BY Staff Reporter 2 MINUTE READ

Vodacom has launched their first Android Go smartphones in South Africa in partnership with Google.

The Android 8.1 Go Edition which was launched at an event in Johannesburg is a streamlined version of the Android 8.1 operating system. The Go Edition keeps the interface and core features of Android 8.1 while offering a smaller install size and less performance upkeep.
This newer OS to offer people an experience that is very much like the full version of Android on devices without the sophisticated specifications.
Mahir Sahin, the Google Director of Android Platform Partnerships for Google in Africa said that Android devices have to work well at different prices. That is why the Android 8.1 Go was created.
Sahin added that they have made the OS as compact as possible and they have optimised the device’s pre-installed app that come with it.
These are the smartphones that support Android 8,1 Go:
Huawei Y3 2018 (4G)
Display 5-inch
Front Camera 2MP
Rear Camera 8MP
Chipset MT6737M
RAM 1GB
Storage 8GB
Battery 2,200mAh
Price R999

 

The Huawei Y3 2018 Photo: Facebook
 
Vodacom Smart Kicka 4 (3G)
Display 4-inch
Front Camera 0.3MP
Rear Camera 2MP
Chipset MT6580M
RAM 512MB
Storage 4GB
Battery 1,500mAh
Price R399

Vodacom Vaya

The mobile carrier also launched promotions that are tailored to the Android Go devices. The promotions offer monthly data bundles and data for the lightweight version of the YouTube Go app.
4G devices will get 200MB per month for three months as well as 250MB YouTube Go daily data for three months. Users will have to recharge with R29 every 30 days to use the data promotions.
For 3G devices, the promotion includes 100MB per month for three months and 100MB YouTube Go daily data for three months. Like the above promotion, users will have to recharge with R12 every 30 days to use the promotion.
Vodacom are planning on bringing more 4G and 3G devices to its Vaya programme in the near future.
Vodacom is not the “best network”
 
Vodacom were forced to withdraw the claim that they are South Africa’s best mobile network from their marketing and advertising material.
This was after a ruling by Advertising Standards Authority’s Advertising Industry Tribunal. Rival mobile network MTN won an appeal against Vodacom that reversed an earlier ruling by the authority in Vodacom’s favour.
– BUSINESS REPORT ONLINE
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06.08.18

70% of bitcoin owners in SA are under 30 years old

BY Staff Reporter 2 MINUTE READ

According to international cryptocurrency marketplace, Paxful, African virtual currency users are more likely to be male, under 30 years old, a graduate or studying toward a tertiary qualification.

Paxful, a global peer-to-peer cryptocurrency marketplace, said that virtual currency is popular in Africa.

According to the company, African consumers account for over R500 million transactions per month on the platform.

Notably, half of these consumers are under 30 years old.

Of these consumers, 70% have a tertiary qualification or are studying toward a post-school qualification. 65% are male while 35% are female.

After Paxful’s leadership team visited South Africa, Nigeria and Ghana recently, they made observations on the consumer base for digital currencies in Africa.

Paxful claims that cryptocurrencies are mainly purchased by bank transfers or gift cards.

Paxful further claims that consumers in African countries have an interactive relationship with cryptocurrency.

There is an increase in transactions and the transfer of goods. Although cryptocurrency is purchased mainly for profit in developed countries, Paxful says that in Africa, cryptocurrencies are bought as a hedge against fluctuating local currencies or as an investment into blockchain start-ups.

Paxful’s consumers in Africa reportedly said that they are interested in the business of digital currency as it has low fees, speedy transactions, is safe and the currency is stable.

Co-founder and CEO of Paxful, Ray Youssef said that a peer-to-peer financial revolution is being led in Africa.“We are on the verge of the peer-to-peer financial revolution and it is being led by Africa.

When it comes to innovation in financial services, in many ways, Africa has an advantage over the so called ‘developed markets’; the continent has an expanding middle-class that has already embraced innovation in banking e.g. the rates of mobile banking users are already high here in comparison to other parts of the world.

Bitcoin, Ethereum and other virtual currencies are just newer financial services instruments.

Paxful’s growth on the continent reflects the tremendous appetite for innovation in Africa”, said Youssef.

– BUSINESS REPORT ONLINE 

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06.04.18

WATCH: Minister Davies to launch a R1bn smart factory in the Eastern Cape

BY Staff Reporter 2 MINUTE READ

The Minister of the Department of Trade and Industry (the dti), Rob Davies will tomorrow launch an R1 billion smart factory in the Eastern Cape.

The launch of the smart factory is part of the Black Industrialist scheme (BIS) which accelerates and promotes black-owned businesses by providing them with financial and non-financial support. According to Minister Davies, the department has since approved 102 Black Industrialists for financial support.

Also, 48 countries were given market access support, 8 of which are located in the Eastern Cape.

The factory set to launch, Yekani Manufacturing is a 100% black-owned ICT electronic and manufacturing company located in the East London Special Economic Zone (IDZ).

At the launch, Yekani will showcase state of the art electronic manufacturing technology. There will also be huge emphasis placed on employment in the Eastern Cape. Minister Davies said that the BIS programme remains integral to rebuild in order to remove constraints and improve opportunity for black-owned companies in the economy.

In October last year, the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) said they will over the next three years provide more than R23 billion to fund black industrialists, with a special focus on youth, as they’ve been identified as having potential to steer Africa’s largest economy.

The remarks were made by IDC chief executive Geoffrey Qhena at the Black Business Council (BBC) summit on radical economic transformation, held in Johannesburg

He said of the R15.4bn approved by the corporation, R4.7bn was expected to benefit companies controlled by black industrialists, while women- and youth-owned enterprises were expected to benefit R3.3bn and more than R2bn respectively. Qhena pointed out that the IDC has been involved in transformation for more than two decades and that 54percent of their portfolio was “exposed” to broad-based black economic empowerment. “To date the IDC has the largest BEE book by value. Over the next three years we will provided more than R23bn to fund black industrialists. We will be focusing on youth, because those are the people who will be able to run the economy in the future,” said Qhena

WATCH

– BUSINESS REPORT ONLINE 

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05.31.18

You can now sign into Chrome without a password

BY Staff Reporter 1 MINUTE READ

Google released a new Chrome version 67 for desktop which will enable individuals to sign into most sites without a password.

The password-free sign in will reportedly enable individuals to sign in to an online service by using unique information or details such as a fingerprint readers or USB keys like YubiKeys, reports The Verge.

In terms of keeping users data secure, the new Chrome version secure its site isolation. This means that browsers will be kept separate from one another so that data cannot be accessed from open tabs.

In other Google Chrome news, Google’s former version was released in April this year. The Chrome 66 introduced 62 security fixes, and feature improvements.

“The Chrome team is delighted to announce the promotion of Chrome 66 to the stable channel for Windows, Mac and Linux. This will roll out over the coming days/weeks”, said Google in the statement.

While Chrome had a feature that lets you mute audio on a site-by-site basis, version 66 expands on this by allowing you to customise when media may autoplay.

You will be allowed to customise on the following basis:

1. Content is muted or does not feature audio.

2. You have previously tapped or clicked on the site during the browsing session.

3. On mobile – whether you have has added the site to a home screen.

4. On desktop –  if you have frequently played media on the site.

Another ability added to the new Chrome, is that it can now export passwords in plain text to a CSV file.

Additionally, 9to5Google showed the “Chrome Home” bottom bar has been redesigned and replaced with the “Chrome Home Duplex” in the Android version of Chrome 66. And a new bottom toolbar can be slid up to open a New Tab.

– BUSINESS REPORT ONLINE 

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WATCH: Sony announces Playstation 4 discounts for SA

BY Staff Reporter < 1 MINUTE READ

Sony has announced that its Days of Play sale which will offer savings on PlayStation hardware, games, and services will be available in South African stores this year.

The sale will take place from 8-18 June 2018, and will include discounts on a new limited-edition Days of Play PS4 console.

This 500GB console will be available while stocks last for R4,999 during the sale period. The 500GB PS4 has been specially designed for Days of Play 2018 and includes two DUALSHOCK 4 wireless controllers, all featuring the iconic PlayStation shapes in a gold design.

However, after 18 June, it will retail for R5,299.

Here are more Days of Play sale prices: 

1. Hardware deals 

500GB Days of Play Limited Edition PS4 – R4,999

PS VR starter pack and software bundle – R3,999

DualShock 4 and Limited Edition DualShock 4 – from R799

Gold and Platinum Wireless Headset – from R1,199

2. Game deals

God Of War – R799

GT Sport – R499

Shadow of the Colossus – R399

Uncharted Lost Legacy – R399

Horizon Complete Edition – R499

Uncharted 4 – R399

Horizon Zero Dawn – R499

Recently, in it’s latest earnings report, Sony revealed that 19 million units of its PS4 were sold in the last fiscal year, which is a decrease over 2016’s 20 million units sold.

However, its lifetime sales of the PlayStation 4 console have surpassed 76 million units since its initial launch in 2013.

– BUSINESS REPORT ONLINE 

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05.30.18

MultChoice partners with university to develop tech talent

BY Staff Reporter < 1 MINUTE READ

MultiChoice and the University of Pretoria have announced that aimed at developing and sustain scarce Artificial Intelligence and specifically Machine Learning technology skills in South Africa.

Through the collaboration between the company and the university, a Research Chair of Machine Learning will be sponsored by the MultiChoice at the university.
According to MultiChoice the field of Artificial Intelligence and specifically Machine and Deep Learning are crucial to the Fourth Industrial revolution and a real digital future.
The entertainment company has identified opportunities to for AI and specifically Machine and Deep Learning to add value to their business ranging from content selection to content recommendations, automated piracy detection, etc.
The Research Chair will act as a link between the two entities to guide them on the projects and research topics that will be selected for sponsorship. They will also be awarding bursaries and support to students at all levels.
The projects are run at various learning levels including final year, Honours, Masters and PhD degrees in the Engineering, Data Science and Computer Science fields. The CEO of MultiChoice Calvo Mawela said that the chair will help MultiChoice grow its pool of talent and engineering to help the company build its digital future. 
Mawela said, “Technology and innovation is part of our DNA as a company, so this is a natural extension to ensure we remain at the forefront of developments”.
According to Mawela the research chair will allow them to tap into the largest and highest internationally ranked locally engineering school with a superior track record.
Prof Chery de la Rey, the Vice-Chancellor and Principal from the University of Pretoria, said, “It’s vital educational institutions invest in researching and educating students about the next waves of technology”.
– BUSINESS REPORT ONLINE
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05.29.18

WATCH: SA gets a price-cut for XBOX One S

BY Staff Reporter < 1 MINUTE READ

Prima Interactive, Distributors of the Xbox in South Africa have decided to cut the price of the FIFA 18 Xbox One S bundle in South Africa as the FIFA World Cup draws close.

The company stated that the recommended selling price of the bundle is now R3,999. The XBOX One S 1TB standalone usually retails between R4999- R5999.

Additionally, a standalone Xbox One S 500GB retails for the same price. So users will be getting additional space but also a free game.

It includes:

Xbox One S 1TB
An additional wireless controller
FIFA 18

FIFA 18 currently retails for around R1 000 but with the bundle it is free.  The price is valid from 25 May to 8 June 2018. It added that from 29 May, FIFA 18 owners will be able to download the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia update for the game.

“This expansion pack lets players choose one of 32 qualified nations to live out their FIFA World Cup dream,” said the company.

– BUSINESS REPORT ONLINE

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05.28.18

WATCH: Airbnb launches Travel stories feature

BY Staff Reporter 2 MINUTE READ

Airbnb has launched a feature that will allow Airbnb guests to create and upload video’s that show the highlights from their trip.

This new feature is called Travel Stories. 

Airbnb is also giving their users tips on how to make effective video stories. The tips which can be found in the FAQ section include how to hold your phone steady and focusing on capturing the destination and what makes it interesting to you.
Another tip is aiming to get 10 videos in your travel story that are a minimum of 10 seconds long. After the user has captured all their videos for their story he or she can put them all together using the Travel Stories tool within the Airbnb app. 
To create a travel story, the user must tap on “Add video” to get access to their camera roll and then they can choose which videos they want to include in their story. Once that is done, the user can then tag locations, add captions on what they found interesting in the video and give location tips to future travellers. 
The last step is to preview your story and then give it a descriptive title that includes the name of the destination you visited and the type of trip it was (family, work, etc.) The stories are published within the Airbnb app, which makes it a bit difficult to share the video outside of the network for future travellers compared to Lonely Planet and Trip Advisor. 
The new travel stories feature fits within Airbnb’s outlook of trying to become a forum that is more socially driven. Travel stories is only available on iOS with the newest version of the app. It is unknown as to when it will be available on Android.
Stories on apps
 
Just recently Netflix introduced their own version of stories. However, their stories were actually mobile previews that would show the user trailers of TV shows or movies that were available on Netflix.
– BUSINESS REPORT ONLINE
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05.25.18

FNB’s eBucks was supposed to be a currency

BY Staff Reporter 2 MINUTE READ

The initial concept behind eBucks was to launch a new currency however the powers that be at FNB were stopped by the South African Reserve Bank.

Paul Harris, the former CEO of FirstRand Limited, was the person that came up with the idea, according to My Broadband.
According to former FNB CEO Michael Jordaan, the idea was that people could earn eBucks by being customers of FNB and also be bought as a way of getting access to deals.
They also planned on allowing people to sell eBucks for cash. The first eBucks advertisement was about eBucks being an electronic currency that a bank would issue.
South African Reserve Bank
Their plans to turn eBucks into its own currency were however stopped by the SARB.
According to Jordaan, the then Deputy Governor of the Reserve bank, Gill Marcus, had called him and said that “she was the only issuer of currency in South Africa” and told him to stop.
Then FNB decided to turn eBucks into a rewards programme after their initial plans were stopped.
Will eBucks become its own currency?
With the popularity of cryptocurrency in the world today, BR reached out to both FNB and Michael Jordaan to pose questions to them about the possibility of eBucks becoming its own currency now.
In response, both FNB and Jordaan refused to talk about the topic for different reasons.
Jordaan wrote in an email that because he is no longer employed by FNB he cannot comment on the questions.
On the other hand, Martha Nkhwashu, the eBucks Strategic Marketing and Communications Manager, replied back via email saying that eBucks Rewards and FNB will not be engaging in this topic.
eBucks right now
Now there are so many ways the FNB customers can benefit from of eBucks.
Some of the different variations of eBucks include eBucks Lifestyle, eBucks discounts, Spend eBucks and eBucks Rewards.
With eBucks discounts, eBucks members can get discounts on selected items at the eBucks store and with eBucks rewards, customers are rewarded on the different ways that they bank.
The newest feature on the eBucks platform is eBucks travel which allows customers book flights as well as hire cars online.
– BUSINESS REPORT ONLINE
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