Author: Trent Meikle

When YouTube Go was announced back in 2016, it filled a role that needed filling. Specifically, it supported users with limited internet access and devices that are slightly behind the curve. It did so by being a smaller app, optimised for slower mobile devices, that used less data when streaming video. Poorer countries, and those with limited internet access, had an easier way onto the YouTube platform. Google announced that it is saying goodbye to the ‘Go’ app. Why? Well, Google believes that the app has become redundant. Which it perhaps has, in places with extensive internet coverage and more…

You’ve probably heard of Zapper. No, not Frank, Dweezil, or Moon Unit. The South African mobile payments company. Zapper has announced that merchants may now accept payments using NFC-enabled smartphones. The main reason for the excitement? These payments can be accepted from any bank and any customer, regardless of whether the customer uses the Zapper app. “After a successful pilot phase, we have rolled out new functionality available to all Zapper merchants which enables them to accept physical card payments as well as mobile wallet payments, such as Samsung Pay, Apple Pay, Garmin Pay, and others. The consumer simply taps…

Just when you think you’ve braved all the latest price increases, what with the petrol and food prices going up – Vodacom announces yet another increase. This time it’s Flexi customers, along with anyone on a mobile broadband contract, who will bear the brunt of the increase. It wasn’t so long ago when Vodacom last increased its prices, which were (then) kept to a maximum increase of 5%. Now, customers on any of Vodacom’s Flexi and mobile broadband contracts are in for an increase of 3%. Thanks for that, Vodacom. The price increase will officially take place from 1 June,…

During Snapchat’s last Partner Summit, the company announced Pixy. Pixy is a dinky drone that follows you around and then posts the resulting video to Snapchat. It’s very yellow, and it’s also very adorable. The drone has been developed by Zero Zero Robotics, a company Snapchat partnered with last year. It seemed inevitable that we would be getting some news on a robot with Snapchat capabilities, and the company has delivered. Pixy costs $230 (or R3,640) and is small enough to fit right in a pocket. Oh Snapchat https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTV4A8D3rQ0 In the showcase video above, you’ll note that nobody uses a…

DisChem customers are in for a little extra convenience (that doesn’t involve actually talking to humans). The popular pharmacy has partnered with a company called Clickatell, a chat commerce specialist. This partnership sees DisChem using WhatsApp as a hub for customers to engage with the pharmacy. It’s also quite simple to do. Just send a message saying ‘Hi’ to 0860 347 243. That’s it. When you do so, you’ll be greeted with a menu that lets you select the service you require from DisChem. The menu contains 5 main options: Benefit Programme PackMyMeds (PMM) Store Information Clinics FAQs When using…

Starting on 22 June this year, PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now are tying the knot, coming together to form one subscription. While still falling under the name of PS Plus, the new service will arrive in three tiers, namely; PS Plus Essential; PS Plus Extra, and PS Plus Deluxe. For over ten years, PS Plus has been a staple in the PlayStation community. The service offers subscribers free games every month, and the ability to play online with friends. Sony’s other subscription service, PlayStation Now, is less well known in South Africa. PS Now gives players access to a library…

Last year, Google announced that it would be adding a safety section to its Google Play Store. Now, witness the official rollout of the aptly named Google Play Data Safety Section. This will offer Android users transparency around how apps collect data and where it is sent. This will be done using new labels that present users with specific information about specific apps. The change comes after Apple announced its own version of the labels, which are named ‘nutrition labels’. The feature has already begun rolling out, though some apps may not have all the relevant information included yet. Since…

Cheaters in video games have increasingly been a problem over the past few years, especially within the competitive online scene. Devs try to keep up with these ‘players’ using anti-cheat methods that collect the cheater’s information while trying to make their experience less pleasant. Call of Duty: Vanguard has revealed a creative new anti-cheat method known as Cloaking. Guess what that does? If you said, “Makes players invisible to cheaters”, then well done. The update was announced two days ago through a blog post. It was developed by Ricochet, a team within Activision. If you’ve got any cheats turned on,…

Huawei has officially announced a new range of devices in South Africa, specifically targeted toward the business space. The lineup was unveiled by Huawei SA head Richard Yu at the company’s Business Product Launch Event. A wide range of devices is coming, from laptops and desktops to monitors and printers. Speaking at the event, Yu explained, “Our consumer-oriented products have drawn widespread acclaim over the past decade, due largely to their groundbreaking user experience. Huawei will incorporate this premium consumer experience into its business products, following three key principles: quality, intelligence, and reliability.” Smarter, not harder First up is the…

This past weekend saw the anniversary of the first-ever YouTube video, uploaded on 23 April 2005. Titled ‘Me at the zoo’, the video has gone on to garner over 228 million views since its debut. Posted by YouTube co-founder Jawed Karim, the video is about as low quality as it gets, both in terms of looks and effort. Of course, it gets a pass, since it helped build the foundation YouTube currently stands atop. If you’re curious to see the video, here it is. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNQXAC9IVRw In honour of this insane achievement, we’ve compiled a list of the 15 most-watched videos…