Hidden in the debacle that was BlackBerry’s first-round aborted attempt at launching its BlackBerry Messenger chat service onto Android and Apple phones, is a lesson that shows how Android is ultimately doomed unless Google takes drastic action. The highly publicised “porting” last month
In a previous column, I highlighted just how complex it is to manage radio spectrum and why experts can’t seem to agree on whether we are running out of spectrum or entering an age of abundance. I finished by saying that the challenge around spectrum management is that still haven’t worked out a satisfying means of deciding who
There was a time, oh, 10 years ago, when consumers used to salivate at the prospect of a new handset from Nokia. From the 2004’s computer-cum-phone, the 9500 Communicator, to 2007’s multimedia powerhouse, the N95, it used to be that for many people that the only option when it came to upgrading
Late last week, the Loeries, South Africa’s most prestigious advertising awards, announced something unprecedented: local agency MetropolitanRepublic would be stripped of all seven of its awards for 2013. The debacle began when MetropolitanRepublic submitted what seemed
With the release of Windows 8.1 this week, Microsoft did an about-turn and brought back the Windows “Start” button, found on Windows computers for 17 years until the company killed it off in 2012 in Windows 8. The Start button has a storied history, having first appeared
For network operators in Africa, the diversity of legal and regulatory systems poses a challenge. As countries’ technology and telecommunications environments mature at different rates, what is legal, acceptable or available in one country may not be so in another. At the recent Capacity
In May 2011, a remarkable thing happened on the Internet in America. It was the month that Netflix, the streaming video service, overtook pirated content as the largest portion of Internet traffic. Until this moment, digital content was being shared mainly via BitTorrent, but it was all pirated from
This may go down as the week that changed everything in South Africa’s telecommunications industry, the one that signalled the start of the end of the duopoly grip held by Vodacom and MTN. It started nine days ago when sector regulator, the Independent Communications
Malawi is not a country that often makes the international news, particularly not in the realm of connectivity. Economically poor and landlocked, it faces significant challenges in achieving affordable access for all. Although both the incumbent telcommunications operator, MTL, and the electricity parastatal
It began in 2006 as a pretty stupid idea: a service that let you post public messages on the Internet but limited them to 140 characters. Seven years later, Twitter has burrowed deep into the fabric of parts of society. Its highly anticipated initial public offering provides a fascinating glimpse
