Author: Tshepo Chauke

Elon Musk’s low-orbit satellite internet service Starlink might get its chance to officially set up shop in South Africa as soon as the Department of Communications and Digital Technology cuts some regulatory red tape. Once finalised, the internet provider may begin operations as soon as mid-2025. A hurdle many international telecommunications companies have faced with their entry into the South African market has been the Electronic Communications Act. The Act requires applicant companies to hold at least 30% ownership by historically disadvantaged groups, intended to protect local companies from being steamrolled by giant corporations. Stars aligning for StarLink In October,…

Apple’s infamous Magic Mouse charging port may be moving away from the base, according to Bloomberg’s resident Apple whisperer Mark Gurman. He reports that the company has been secretly working on a complete overhaul of the Magic Mouse. It’s about time. Apple’s new Magic Mouse – coming not so soon The Magic Mouse first launched in 2009, more than 15 years ago. It was groundbreaking at the time, with the ability to operate it like a trackpad with scroll and zoom gestures, something that most modern mice have yet to successfully emulate. Over the years, the Magic Mouse has seen…

YouTube has begun experimenting with a new way for creators to engage with their audiences. The company is testing a feature that allows content creators to respond to subscriber comments with voice recordings, adding another layer of connection in the parasocial relationship between mini-celeb YouTubers and their audience. Content creators within YouTube’s small group of test subjects can go to one of their video’s comment sections and instead of typing their response can click the sound wave icon to open up the voice recorder to record their response. YouTube testing voice responses from creators According to YouTube, creators who want…

Dread it, run from it, inflation arrives all the same. MTN South Africa will increase contract prices starting from 01 February 2025. Price increases like this are a fairly regular occurrence. MTN might be one of the first to announce its 2025 changes, but it probably won’t be the last. MTN drives the price The mobile network provider will increase contract payments by an average of 4.4%, according to a MyBroadband report. MTN claims this is “due to macroeconomic and other factors such as network vandalism, battery and generator theft, and increased electricity prices.” This 4.4% increase entails an average…

Tech company TCL has produced five short films with AI, that it plans to turn into targeted advertising content on its TVs. In the long term, the company plans to produce original movies with the help of generative AI. Should this succeed, TCL may be the first tech company since Netflix to truly disrupt Hollywood. TCL, the AI movie studio Hollywood has been stuck for a while. The advent of the phone and home entertainment dealt a huge blow to the industry. In turn, it pushed all its chips into franchisable content and big-budget CGI spectacles that are harder for…

Keen South African travelers over the festive period can enjoy a special Travel eSIM valid in over 150 destinations all around the world, courtesy of MTN. This eSIM allows South African travelers to enjoy MTN deals from select spots on the globe, giving them a chance to catch some data savings depending on where they are. The eSIM is data only, and MTN promises it should be relatively quick to set up. MTN’s Travel eSIM The card is available on MTN’s Travel eSIM page. Users can select an eSIM for over 140 countries across the globe. Deals start from seven…

The Asus Vivobook S 14 is the latest addition to the tech company’s Vivobook range. It’s slim and lightweight, packs decent processing power with its Intel Core Ultra 7 Series 2 chipset, and features a decent screen backed by its Lumina software. Sussing out the Vivobook S 14 Generally, the most useful thing a university student needs from a laptop is lightweight portability (some of us learned the hard way). The Vivobook S 14 weighs a cool 1.3kg and is about 1.39cm thick, good for any young student or professional who needs a capable machine but is always on the…

WhatsApp’s new update reminds users if they haven’t checked their friends’ statuses or messages. Courtesy of Wabetainfo, the social media app has reportedly been testing the feature since September and is now available through its beta program. Whatsapp rolls out un Users who want to test the feature can open WhatsApp, go into Settings, Notifications, and then toggle Reminders. Once on, users begin receiving reminder notifications for unseen Status updates and messages. Previously, reminders were limited to status updates from specific contacts automatically selected by WhatsApp. The reminder feature expands this to unread messages from frequent contacts. The selection is…

Communications minister Solly Malatsi announced a new deadline for the nation’s analogue switch-off, moving it back by three months. Some may remember the hubbub caused by news of South Africa’s digital migration to set-top boxes. That was 14 years ago. Feel old yet? From analogue switch-off to digital migration The project has suffered various setbacks since its initial deadline set by then-communications minister Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri during Thabo Mbeki’s presidency. Malatsi, the first Democratic Alliance cohort to lead the office via the GNU, said in a statement that cabinet’s support has been secured for an extension to the deadline, from December…

Computer producer Asus is broadening its relationship with its customer base with its inaugural shop-in-shop concept stores. The shop-in-shop branches can be found at select Computer Mania branches in South Africa with more to come. The first store debuted on 25 November 2024 at the Mall of Africa, followed by a second location at Brooklyn Mall on November 26. Asus sets up shop Asus’s shop-in-shop stores offer a more thoughtful space for techies, centered around the tech brand’s premium product lines like ROG (Republic of Gamers) and the Zenbook ranges. All stores showcase a curated selection of the brand’s latest…