Author: Trent Meikle

In a bid to strengthen security at MTN stores and improve efficiency while it’s at it, the telecoms company announced today it was implementing a major upgrade in the form of a digital ID system “with real-time biometrics on any device,” across all MTN stores around South Africa. Yeah, this definitely won’t end badly “At MTN, our customers are at the heart of everything we do. The deployment of this biometric system is part of our ongoing investment in innovation that makes our customers’ lives easier, safer, and more connected,” said Cornelia van Heerden. “We’ve reimagined the customer journey to…

It’s almost a rite of passage at this point to be hit with some bold-faced scam over on WhatsApp, but now Meta is taking steps to stop them from ever getting that far. On the occasions the odd scammer does slip through, the company is adding new security tools to help users spot scams and deal with them effectively. Meta reckons it’s already taken a big step toward conquering the scourge of scammers, noting that it had already rid the platform of roughly 6.8 million scam accounts in the first six months of the year alone. “…We proactively detected and took…

Spotify announced on Monday that it was hitting regions outside of the US with another Premium price hike. Unfortunately, South Africa wasn’t left alone on this occasion. Affected customers “across South Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Latin America, and the Asia-Pacific region” will receive emails warning them of the impending change, which is set to take place this September. While Spotify didn’t specifically mention South Africa in this warning shot, a visit to Spotify’s local website already lists the revised, more expensive prices. Taking down your wallet, one subscription at a time Despite Spotify increasing prices several times for…

You may be waiting for Sony to pay proper attention to the PlayStation 5, but its parents are more interested in the bun in the oven, particularly when that bun is a money-printing machine. According to YouTuber and leaker Moore’s Law is Dead, that bun is the PlayStation 6. While we’re at it, we’ll confirm that water is, in fact, wet. But Moore’s Law is Dead isn’t just proclaiming that Sony is working on the PlayStation 6 (PS6) behind closed doors because… of course it is. The YouTuber has come out swinging with possible specs, starting price, and even a…

Apple’s putting together a team Apple’s folly in chasing the AI dragon is a well-documented secret at this point, not least because it has hardly anything to show for its efforts. In a bid to catch up to the rest of the competition, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports that the Big Fruit Company quietly formed a new team internally called “Answers, Knowledge, and Information” (or AKI) that was tasked with developing a “new ChatGPT-like search experience.” A senior director by the name of Robby Walker is heading up the team, who, until recently, oversaw Apple’s Siri projects before getting the axe due…

It’s not often that Realme graces us with a new flagship killer, particularly not a collaboration effort, like the Naruto GT Neo 3, or in this case, the Realme GT 7 Dream Edition. This time, it’s the Aston Martin F1 branding plastered all over the smartphone’s bits. Did we mention it’s coming to South Africa? A GT 7 on the rocks, please Well, it is. The Realme GT 7 Dream Edition can be had for a relatively reasonable R19,000 — reasonable once you peek at the tech packed under the hood (and remember Oppo’s recent efforts were similarly priced). The GT…

Smartphones are expensive. Good smartphones even more so, but you already knew that. To combat high purchase and contract prices, MTN MoMo has launched a new initiative — called Handset Rent-to-Own — that gives its prepaid customers the ability to pick up a 4/5G smartphone for “as little as R10 a day*.” MTN’s doing away with all that credit nonsense It’s not nearly as simple as MoMo makes it appear at first glance. R10/day adds up to roughly R300/m — more expensive than, say, a Samsung Galaxy A26 on a 36-month contract, but that isn’t Rent-to-Own’s biggest attraction. It’s the ability…

You (and basically everybody else) might’ve expected the first Nintendo Direct after the launch of the Switch 2 to be packed full of exciting games that might sway those still sitting on the fence to pick up the new console. The warning signs were there when Nintendo announced a ‘Partner Direct’ for Thursday, 31 July, but even we didn’t expect Nintendo to deliver such a steaming hot pile of… nothing. We’re being a little hyperbolic, of course. The 25-minute-long showcase did show off some games, if you can call that sneakily cosy Chillin’ by the Fire a game. Without Nintendo’s first-party titles…

Whether you’re a grown man who’s just really into Pokémon content or a little kid arguing with said grown man in the comments section of a YouTube video (filmed by a teenage girl), YouTube wants to know a little more about you. Primarily, your age. Regardless of what you’ve told Google, the platform will deploy an AI-powered ‘age estimation model’ to better determine your age. Making YouTube worse, one AI-powered tool at a time Google first announced its plans to do this using machine learning earlier this year, and it’s finally following through. Judging by a “variety of signals,” like…

Smartphone contracts are rarely ever simple, and Vodacom knows it. In response, the network operator has announced a revamped suite of Red Core contracts, supposedly reflecting Vodacom’s desire to put “customers first by offering extra value, increased flexibility, and greater ease”. Vodacom’s Red is on the up and up Vodacom reckons it has overhauled the rewards, too, beyond regular airtime and mobile data purchases. The renovation now consists of four “simplified” plans, all of which include up to R20,000 in funeral cover, as well as two months’ worth of theft cover — which also applies to those who lose their…