All the latest technology news from South Africa and around the world.
BlackBerry has surprised the market by announcing that it will make its popular BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) available to iPhone and Android users. The move raises the stakes in the mobile instant messaging market, where the cross-platform WhatsApp is rapidly entrenching itself as a market leader. BBM will be
The R1,2bn fibre-optic network that covers all seven of greater Johannesburg’s municipalities will go live on 1 July. The network, built by BWired, a partnership between Ericsson and the city, will connect government buildings and businesses and serve as a wholesale network for telecommunications operators
The Advertising Industry Tribunal has upheld a decision of the Advertising Standards Authority, in the process handing a victory to MTN, which had complained that a radio ad campaign by Cell C belittled its popular “MTN Zone” prepaid calling plan and its “Mahala Thursdays” promotion. In the Cell C
Power utility Eskom’s ability to keep the country’s lights on this winter remains a major worry, the Democratic Alliance warned on Tuesday. “At the front and centre of most South Africans’ minds right now is the worry about our very precarious electricity supply,” MP Natasha Michael told MPs in the national
When journalist Gus Silber fell victim to a home invasion last weekend, his iMac, iPad mini and iPhone were stolen. Using an application called Find My iPhone and a neighbour’s tablet computer, he was able to watch his assailants make their getaway in his stolen car and follow their progress into Alexandra
Telkom has tapped a member of Trevor Manuel’s National Planning Commission as its new head of strategy. Miriam Altman will join the troubled telecommunications operator on 1 June. Altman, who will report directly to newly appointed Telkom CEO Sipho Maseko, will support
Usage-based insurance telematics, where insurance companies are able to determine everything from a customer’s driving habits to who really was responsible for an accident, will be the next big growth engine for the stolen vehicle tracking and recovery industry. That’s the view of Altech
The department of communications on Monday went on the offensive against the Sunday Times, accusing the newspaper of “peddling slander and salacious rumours” in a “desperate attempt to convict” the minister “in the court of public opinion”. The department’s newly appointed spin doctor, Wisani Ngobeni
Vendor-neutral data centre operator Teraco Data Environments has secured a R200m medium-term funding facility from Absa’s corporate and investment banking division. Teraco CEO Lex van Wyk says the funding will allow Teraco to meet the demand created by growth of the Internet and cloud computing
Ten years ago, Stephen Hawking made a bet with the man in the office next door at Cambridge University: South Africa’s Neil Turok, the son of ANC MP Ben Turok. The iconic scientist balked at Turok’s proposal for a money wager, so they agreed on another kind of stake: bragging rights over which of them had discovered
