Author: Marcé

In December 2020, we lost an age-old friend. One that gave PC users a variety of capabilities in emerging application solutions. Adobe has blocked all content from running in the once-popular Flash Player after 27 years. So why is the South African Revenue Service’s (SARS) online eFiling platform still running on the software? Even worse, SARS recently pushed citizens to use the online platform during lockdown level 3. It has decided to close branches in the midst of an uptick in COVID infections — and that’s commendable. But the service clearly lacks the digital resources to support the influx of…

As Uganda’s presidential election is carried out in full force today, current president Yoweri Museveni has blocked access to the popular social media platform Facebook, as well as limiting internet access in the country as a whole.  Earlier this week, Facebook removed a variety of fake accounts that it had linked to the Ugandan government. These accounts were allegedly coordinating “inauthentic behaviour” and attempted to manipulate public debate around the election, according to a report by The New York Times. According to the report, Mr Museveni (76 years old) is running for a sixth term in office. In addition to…

One laptop-maker that’s bound to impress the world in some way or another on the CES stages is Asus, and this year’s no different. This year, Asus reimagined some of its existing hardware into a lineup that we can’t wait to experience, including two dual-display ZenBooks, a new ExpertBook and a TUF budget gaming model.   The main feature models here are Asus’ dual-display designs that are fitted with something they call ScreenPad Plus — a full-sized display mounted atop the keyboard. This year, the Asus ZenBook Duo comes in two size variations —  the ZenBook Pro Duo 15 OLED (UX582),…

Let’s think back for a moment, to roughly a year ago when the world was plunged into fear of this unknown virus. At that stage (and still today) one of the only realistic solutions was staying home. “Do your part,” they said. And we all stayed home for the sake of our health. Now, we’re on track to vaccinate the world and reach herd immunity, but until then we all still have to do our part and download the COVID Alert SA app for some free data.  MTN has announced that it will gift any South African who downloads the…

If there’s one thing we’ve seen plenty of on the digital CES 2021 stages, it’s AMD-powered gaming machines. The same goes for Lenovo’s Legion gaming arm, which announced a range of new gaming notebooks all powered by AMD’s latest Ryzen processors and Nvidia’s next-gen RTX GPUs.  The shift to AMD is an interesting one, because Lenovo announced early in 2020 that it will launch its new range of gaming laptops using Intel’s latest chips. Lenovo showed off a variety of machines this year, all coming in at remarkably low price points if you consider the specs they managed to pack…

Today, Asus’ gaming arm Republic of Gamers (ROG) debuted its 2021-ready gaming gear and devices at its CES keynote. Featured in an interactive experience centre called the ROG Citadel XV (available to download free on Steam), the lineup consists of gaming laptops, monitors and peripherals all wrapped in distinctive ROG branding.  There’s the wonderfully wacky ROG Flow X13 gaming laptop, equipped with an XG Mobile external GPU, an updated dual-display monster called the ROG Zephyrus Duo 15 SE, and an all-new Strix Scar 17 that’s got a mind-blowing 360Hz display attached.  Let’s check out some of the kit announced today. …

Biometric security has come quite a long way. These days we can authenticate our identity using fingerprints, facial recognition and even retina scans on mobile devices. You might say we’re all living in a ‘90s spy movie, especially now that Apple’s looking to introduce wrist authentication for its wearable Apple Watches.  This week Apple filed a patent (the only surefire way to know what Apple is planning these days), that uses a light sensor on the back of its Watch to authenticate a user’s identity.  Irre’wrist’able Using ‘Wrist ID’, you’ll be able to unlock your Apple Watch simply by strapping…

Time is running out to comment on the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies’ Audio and Audio-visual Content Services policy framework. The White Paper includes a variety of suggestions in line with the changing landscape of how humans consume content. This includes a proposal that mobile devices capable of streaming shows and movies fall under a TV licence cost.  It comes down to the definition of “broadcasting service”, that’s been amended in the newly updated White Paper to include online broadcasting services. That’s anything from streaming radio services through a browser to Youtube, Netflix, Showmax and even DStv Now.  How…

Sometimes, it’s better to overwhelm consumers with multiple options to ensure they choose one of them. That may be JBL’s strategy this year, as it’s revealed three new pairs of true wireless earphones ahead of the first all-digital CES 2021.  This major new category in audio tech is dominated by the likes of Apple (AirPods) and Samsung (Buds). And while many have attempted to dethrone them, many have also failed. Some notable true wireless earbud-makers are Jabra, Xiaomi, Vivo, Sony and… JBL. The audio brand owned by Harman is bolstering its bud lineup this year. Here’s what to expect:  It’s…

Of all the tech-related questions that land in our inbox on a daily basis, the standout question we receive is when South Africa will be blessed with Apple Pay. Launched in 2014, the digital payment service has never been available in any African country, citing that it’s not supported on the continent at all.  But with the rise of digital wallets in the country, many banks have increased their digital accessibility through services like Garmin Pay, Fitbit Pay and Samsung Pay. Apple Pay, however, streamlines making payments in the Apple ecosystem. Many South Africans could make good use of the…