Author: Marcé

Sometimes, techies perched on the plains in Southern Africa sit and dream of a day we can get our hands on Google’s proprietary hardware. We’re happy to announce that day is upon us. It may be through third-party retailers, but we don’t ask questions. Capish? According to our sibling publication over in the UK, Google’s best kit is generally its cheapest kit. The Google Pixel 4 launched in 2019 and still retails for around R15,000 (it really depends where you look, though). While the following Pixel 5 is also priced in the mid-teens of thousands, the Pixel 4a is humbly…

Thanks to a complete app overhaul, Capitec bank has detailed how users can now sign up for bank accounts by taking a selfie. Similar to a feature FNB launched back in 2018, Capitec’s selfie feature aims to make the sign-up process more accessible.  The facial biometrics feature built into Capitec’s newly launched mobile app harnesses the power of some artificial intelligence smarts, along with biometric fiddling to allow users the ability to verify their details. It’s linked to the Department of Home Affairs’ database in real-time (which is staggering if you consider the DOH is impenetrable after 3pm). The system…

South African e-tailer OneDayOnly published its annual ODOmeter report this morning, which details the online shopping behaviour of its customers. It’s the second instance of the ODOmeter index, and includes the results from research conducted in a group of around 9,000 respondents through OneDayOnly’s platforms Even though the survey was conducted… ahem… online. We only have stats of South Africans who already conduct their business online. Of course, because of the small scale of the survey pool, this information is not indicative of the whole of South Africa’s online shopping habits. But it’s interesting nonetheless.  Read more: OneDayOnly sold a…

Putting your cash in a shoe and driving over to Europe may have once seemed like the only viable way to get your hard-earned money into another country. Now FNB has announced that, in partnership with MoneyGram, it’s offering its customers the ability to send and receive money internationally through its app.  Before now, FNB customers would have had to call a banking representative or shlep into a physical branch or ATM to approve international payments. Now it can all be administrated via the FNB Banking app, which is conveniently located on iOS or Android devices.  Rely on that MoneyGram…

Natural disasters tend to bring communities together, put worldly things back of mind and increase support across a variety of platforms. Over the past weekend, a wildfire surged across Table Mountain and into the Southern suburbs of the city. Certain local mobile apps and tech platforms have weighed in to give South Africans across the country the ability to aid firefighters and displaced residents.  The raging wildfires have destroyed part of the Rhodes Memorial Restaurant and Tea Garden, including the University of Cape Town’s Jagger University. With the introduction of strong winds today, firefighters are facing increased risk while more…

The local Multichoice-owned streaming service has announced that it’s cutting its mobile subscription plan from R49 per month to R39 per month. Showmax offers a mobile-only subscription plan for users who don’t necessarily access content on a laptop or TV.  Today, Showmax detailed its new mobile pricing. Unfortunately for regular subscribers, none of the other subscription packages have dropped in cost. That means you’ll still pay R100 per month for the regular subscription, while a Pro sub still sits at R445 and a Pro Mobile plan’s still at R225 per month. Read more: Showmax now offering free content on its…

Think back eight years and Capitec’s mobile app was one of the cleanest in the banking sector. Unfortunately, however, mobile application technologies evolve faster than dinosaurs can turn into chickens. The local bank is now urging customers to drop its old app in the bin, and opt for the new and improved app.  Ready, Capitec That’s mainly because support for the old banking app will cease to function come 30 April, and the bank has been sending an insane amount of SMSes urging customers to download its new app.  Read more: Capitec has launched a ‘Scan to Pay’ feature “We’re…

South Africa’s vaccine rollout strategy has been questionable up until now, but it’s finally opened online registrations for Phase 2’s humans to gain access to their doses. Phase 2 is open to all South Africans over the age of 60, and while the platform is live (we thought it’s been live since Phase 1), official registrations will only be captured from 16:00 on Friday 16 April.  To help administrate the COVID-19 vaccine distribution process, the South African government has announced the Electronic Vaccine Data System (or EVDS)  — a digital platform where citizens can sign up to get their COVID-19…

MTN’s fibre internet arm, called Supersonic, has plans to roll out fibre that’s beamed through the air and it goes by Unlimited Air Fibre. It’ll update existing infrastructure to make it possible for customers to gain access to fibre speeds without digging trenches for physical lines.  Fibre, but make it invisible Speaking at the 2021 MyBroadband conference, Supersonic CEO Calvin Collett said the company plans to install Air Fibre in selected South African cities from May 2021. It’ll start installing cutting-edge radios on MTN’s existing mobile towers across the selected cities. These radios will communicate with A4-sized antennas that’ll need…

We can argue about who was affected negatively by the global pandemic and lockdown more all day, but the retail industry was arguably hit worst. According to Statista, global retail dropped by 5.7% year on year since the pandemic. The retail sector has seen customers flooding to digital marketplaces, so investing in proper e-commerce spaces is a no brainer, really. That’s what The Foschini Group (TFG) is attempting with its new mobile shopping app.  Called the Foschini All Women app, it’s the group’s first mobile-friendly application where customers can buy anything from the group’s clothing brands, cosmetic brands, plus-size options…