My gamertag is more useful than a business card. I write about the tech industry, hardware, software, games, and motoring.
There’s a major revolution happening in the finance sector. As the prevalence of tap-to-pay becomes commonplace, banks and merchants are exploring innovations that’ll minimise physical interaction, while increasing security. Now, Samsung’s announced it’s working with Mastercard on a card that’s fitted with a biometric fingerprint scanner. And it looks like it’ll do… exactly what it sounds like. The concept card will be able to scan a user’s fingerprint to effectively ‘unlock’ it and give you access to the funds linked to that card. This will remove the need for a PIN, authentication on a smartphone or watch or authorisation through…
In a recent announcement, Multichoice revealed that it will open all SuperSport channels for all DStv customers for one weekend. If you’re not a DStv Premium subscriber, you’ll be able to access some premium ball-kicking, face punching and field sprinting content regardless. As long as you have an account with the broadcaster. Anyone who’s subscribed to DStv Compact Plus, Compact, Family, and Access packages will be able to watch their favourite tournaments and leagues via all the SuperSport channels from 13 March (Saturday) to 14 March (Sunday). Of course, there’s a catch, though. The channels will only be accessible through…
In January, news sites were flooded with news regarding WhatsApp’s unexpected announcement that it will start sharing user information with its parent company, Facebook. After online backlash, WhatsApp pushed the date to agree to the new terms out to 15 May 2021. Now, the South African Information Regulator says the blue social network will do no such thing, barring Facebook from collecting increased user data unless it obtains authorisation. The regulator’s concerns come two months before WhatsApp users will be forced to accept the terms or face being blocked from sending messages on the platform. They’re not pleased with Facebook’s ultimatum. …
At some point, most traditional media sources will need to port to digital platforms. Those who don’t, won’t live to see another year in business. That’s probably why the SABC has decided to finally port its content over to digital by planning the launch of a streaming service that’ll play host to most of its content. This is in addition to its content being aired on the TelkomONE streaming platform (with ads, of course). It’ll be similar to the UK’s BBC iPlayer platform, and will host a variety of proudly South African content. But, up until now, we haven’t seen…
WeThinkCode, the local software developer training academy will expand to yet another province (previously only in Gauteng and the Western Cape), and will establish a campus in Durban. Who said being able to talk to computers should be limited to only certain geographical locations? Unlike most things post-2020, WeThinkCode believes a physical campus is imperative to allowing access to students. “The new facility will complement the school’s existing campuses in Johannesburg and Cape Town, and is part of an ambitious plan to double student intake to 600 this year,” WeThinkCode CEO Nyari Samushonga said in a statement, according to TechCentral.…
Modern-day payment solutions have made it possible for small-to-medium businesses and, more prominently, informal vendors to easily accept cards as payment. It’s also become increasingly important as an access point, considering a COVID-19 stricken world of consumers prefer using cards in lieu of cash. Visa, the financial services company, has announced that it’s debuting a new feature that could turn a normal smartphone into a point-of-sale (POS) terminal without much hassle. It’s called “tap to phone” — a brand new digital payment service, and launches in South Africa today. Read More: You should probably start cleaning your phone At this…
Our ‘90s spy movie fantasies are almost in reach if we believe Insta360’s latest video teaser, showing off its tiniest camera yet. Actually, we didn’t get a proper look at the small piece of tech, but the video teases a “tiny, mighty surprise.” It’s hard to tell exactly how small the physical camera is. Are we talking Men in Black-level invisible tech? Or is this more of an Inspector Gadget-esque foldable, portable piece of hardware? The teaser shows a mouse’s perspective panning through a variety of everyday items. Is it on a tiny gurney? We’ll never know. Honey, I shrunk…
Sometimes we get a piece of tech that seems frivolous, and then it turns out to be the most useful gadget we’ve ever used. That’s exactly what happened when we tested the Asus ROG Strix XG17 portable monitor. You read that right — a monitor you can take with you. Why? Because you can, of course. The surprisingly light 17.3in 1080p IPS panel, we found, is not only ideal for gaming with a 240Hz refresh rate, but it’s a brilliant back-up monitor when a power failure hits. It’s fitted with a massive 7,800mAh battery pack, so it doesn’t need to…
While South Africans sit and watch the rest of the world enjoy mobility innovations in the form of self-driving cars and an actual selection of electric cars, Ford is looking out for us. Last week, Ford launched its FordPass app in South Africa which brings a bunch of cool accessibility features with it, if you own a Ford of course. Using the FordPass app, Ford owners (only Ranger 2021 models at present) will be able to remotely lock, unlock and start their vehicles. If this sounds like something that could easily ensure you lose both your phone and your car…