Despite the importance of the Internet to contemporary society, according to the International Telecommunication Union only 42% of the world’s population is online. That leaves 4,3bn people without the Internet, of which 90% live in the developing world. African, Asian
Browsing: Editor’s pick
With the recent acquisition by Facebook of voice-recognition company Wit.ai, all four major players in the post-PC market – Apple, Google, Microsoft and Facebook – now have a significant infrastructure for hands-free communication with your device. But what will that
Everyday objects with network connections that can collect and share data or be remotely controlled – the Internet of things – promise to transform the way we interact with the world around us by fusing the physical and digital into what is gradually being referred to
Your home Internet connection works in one of two ways. One involves using a copper wire, probably your telephone line to send electrical signals from the Internet provider to your home and back. This technology hasn’t changed much since the days of the telegraph
Imagine a cellphone that weighs almost 5kg, is the size of a briefcase and costs R75 000 in today’s money? Believe it or not, that’s what early adopters had to put up with in the early days on mobile in the 1980s. To commemorate the first-ever mobile phone call 30 years ago
In South Africa, as in many countries, the release of senior secondary school exam results, referred to locally as “the matric”, causes a media furore every year. At 18 years old, students either pass or fail and their results are published in
Who says cinema is dead? From intimate indie dramas to massive blockbusters, from slick thrillers to futuristic romances, and from downbeat dystopias to nostalgic remembrances of the past, the best feature films of 2014 showed that the movies are as vibrant and alive as ever. Here’s our pick
This hasn’t been a great year for blockbuster games, with most big publishers struggling to make a smooth and profitable transition to a new console generation. Many of the big game releases of the year have disappointed by being dull and faceless (Watch Dogs, Destiny), launching with serious glitches
Noko vs Izikhothane by Ramscomics was the most popular video on YouTube among South Africans in 2014, the Google-owned online video service disclosed on Wednesday. A news programme from broadcaster eNCA on Oscar Pistorius came in second. The list excludes videos from major music
Barry Hore, one of South Africa’s most respected IT and operational leaders, is leaving the South African Revenue Service. He will depart at the end of this month after more than eight years at the tax authority