Category: Global News
2021: Year in review, major tech news highlights
Another one bites the dust, well almost. We are counting down the hours till we bid 2021 adieu. Goodbye and good riddance methinks. 2021 was the sequel to 2020 we did not want but got nonetheless. The year may have been a downer but like all dark clouds, silver linings can be found. Let’s look […]
EU to impose USB-C as standard charger for all devices
The European Commission is proposing a common charger for all electronic devices. The move is meant to cut down on electronic waste and to reduce customer frustration. Definitely something I resonate with. Currently, there are three main chargers – Apple’s Lightning for the iPhone, the aging and slowly being phased out MicroUSB and the new […]
The US seizes Iranian news website domains in a shocking move
In a controversial move, it seems the United States government has seized domains belonging to Iranian affiliated news agencies. Right now if you try to visit Presstv.com you will be greeted by a seizure notice, an FBI and the US Department of Commerce seal. This is just one domain name of many such news related […]
Cyber legislation to allow a regulator to block apps in the UK
Online legislation is on everyone’s mind just 2 weeks after South Africa’s bill was proposed, UK’s Ofcom is set to gain the authority to block access to online services that are deemed to not be doing enough to protect children and other users. Cyber legislation trend The measure is to be added to the UK […]
Whatsapp has added a shopping carts feature
Whatsapp has introduced a new shopping carts feature, making shopping a breeze.
AMD unveils Zen 3 CPUs with a huge speed boost to kick Intel where it hurts
Earlier today AMD’s CEO Lisa Su unveiled the company’s brand new Ryzen 5000 series of CPUs, based on their latest Zen 3 microarchitecture. The 25 minute YouTube premier, in which Su gave a nod to the company’s Zen hardware in the new Xbox and PlayStation consoles, finally shed light on four powerful new CPUs and […]
Euro Central Bank considering making digital Euro
The European Central Bank (ECB) recently announced that a digital version of the Euro (€) is on the cards. ECB is holding a public consultation regarding introducing the tech-based currency. The consultation will start on the 12th of October with the decision on whether to launch a digital currency is expected towards mid-2021. Europeans are […]
Here’s how Google is making all Android phones earthquake sensors
Smartphones are pretty smart – but I bet you didn’t know they were smart enough to be used as earthquakes. Well, I didn’t and I’m a pretty smart guy. Jokes aside though, Google recently announced that Android phones will now be part of what they describe as the “largest earthquake detection network”. We saw an […]
MTN to exit the Middle East region over the next 3-5 years
MTN recently announced that it would be pulling out of the Middle-East region to focus it’s effort on the African continent. One of the reasons cited for MTNs pulling out of the Middle-East were weakening currencies in that region. In addition to that is the geopolitical instability of the Middle East which makes it difficult […]
Google brings fact-checking to image search
Photos and videos are an incredible way to help people understand what’s going on in the world. But the power of visual media has its pitfalls—especially when there are questions surrounding the origin, authenticity or context of an image. At the end of June, Google announced they would start surfacing fact check information in Google […]
Your next Apple or Samsung phone might not have a charger in the box
When news broke last week that the iPhone 12 might come without a charger in the box – the Android fanboy in me was smiling from ear to ear man! My immediate reaction was “Apple is anti-consumer so no surprise there.” You can therefore imagine my face when Samsung (which happens to be my brand […]
TikTok & 58 other Chinese apps banned in India – Here’s Why
So India and China are not the best of friends right now and this has resulted in the banning of TikTok, WeChat and 57 other Chinese apps from Apple and Google’s app stores respectively. The apps that were banned have reportedly accumulated 4.9 billion downloads since 2014 and 750 million downloads this year alone. Chinese […]
WhatsApp Pay Launches In Brazil
WhatsApp Pay which has been in testing for what seems like an eternity is finally being launched and strangely the launch won’t be in India where it has been tested for over 2 years. Instead WhatsApp Pay is being launched in Brazil. Beta testers of the feature will be able to send and receive money […]
China’s GPS Alternative, Beidou Reaching Completion Later This Month
The Global Positioning System (GPS) is one of those things most people (myself included) rarely question. For example, I knew it exists, and I knew it’s used in navigation but beyond that, I wasn’t really aware of who are the people behind it or the fact that an alternative to GPS could actually exist. Anyway, […]
Zoom Locks Encryption Behind Paywall Since Most Harmful Behaviour Comes From Free Users
Zoom Meetings recently announced that end-to-end encryption would be coming to their video conferencing software but there’s catch. Most popular chat applications have end-to-end encryption enabled for all users but in Zoom’s case, encryption will be reserved for paid users. The reasoning behind this decision by Zoom is not motivated by money – if you’re […]
US Might Work With Huawei On 5G Network After All
Whilst US-China relations are still not patched up it seems the USA is softening its stance on a Huawei-enabled 5G rollout. After repeatedly urging other countries such as the UK, and France not to use Huawei equipment as they roll out their 5G network, the US Department of Commerce is ready to sign off on […]
Apple & Google’s Contact Tracing Software Will Be Ready In A Few Days
A fortnight ago, Apple and Google announced that they were working on software that would help with contact tracing for Coronavirus; In this spirit of collaboration, Google and Apple are announcing a joint effort to enable the use of Bluetooth technology to help governments and health agencies reduce the spread of the virus, with user […]
[Update] Zoom Meetings Gains 100M New Users In 3 Weeks
Zoom’s rise to fame doesn’t seem to be on the wane – even with security concerns plaguing the video conferencing software. In March, Zoom reported their user base had grown from 10 million to 200 million between December and February. That exponential growth hasn’t stopped and in 3 weeks, Zoom has added 100M users and […]
Phone Shipments For 2020 Expected To Be The Lowest In A Decade
We’ve already seen the impact of COVID-19 in the smartphone market. Samsung has reportedly sold 60% Galaxy S20 units compared to S10 units, and YoY shipments for smartphones in February fell by 38%. Following this news it became pretty obvious that the mobile phone industry is going to have a pretty rough 2020. It wasn’t […]
Samsung Galaxy S20 Underperforming; As COVID-19 Takes Toll On Industries
It can be argued the Samsung Galaxy S20 series of devices is their best yet – in terms of power it’s obviously the case- but these devices have been impacted by a global epidemic that Samsung could not have imagined or prepared for. Samsung reportedly held a private call with analysts and the mobile company […]
Apple Considering iPhone 12 Delay Because Of Coronavirus Impact
Every September, Apple releases a new iPhone series. This September expectation was they would launch again but that has now been cast into doubt due to the novel Coronavirus’ continued spread across the globe. Apple is reportedly preparing for a delay of the iPhone 12 phones – though a final decision is yet to be […]
Global Smartphone Shipments Fall 38 %YoY in February 2020
According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics, global smartphone shipments tumbled 38% year-on-year in the month of February 2020. It was the biggest fall ever in the history of the worldwide smartphone market. In February 2019, 99.2 million smartphones had been sold and a year later that number has dropped to 61.8 million units. The […]
India Reverses Cryptocurrency Ban
The Indian Supreme Court has overturned a two-year-old judgement banning cryptocurrency trading in the country. In April of 2018, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had instructed banks and financial institutions to refrain from facilitating services related to virtual currencies. The Internet and Mobile Association of India, representing various cryptocurrency exchanges, had argued that trading […]
Sales Of Galaxy S20 Affected By Corona Virus – Samsung
Samsung has said that the first day sales of their Galaxy S20 series of devices were heavily affected by the Corona Virus. The S20, S20+ and S20 Ultra were announced earlier this month with the sale commencing in South Korea last Friday. Whilst the Galaxy S10 and Note 10 series managed to sale 140 000 […]
Google Warns Huawei Users Not To Install Its Apps For Security Reasons
We all know the story by now, Huawei was placed on the US government’s Entity List which prohibits the Chinese company from collaborating with any US company. Because this is the case, Google posted an update confirming that they’ll only support Huawei devices released on or before May 16 – when the ban was announced. […]
Nearly 8000 Cyber Attacks In Africa Disguised As Dating Apps
With Valentine’s Day approaching, singles and couples alike are under intensifying pressure to solidify their plans for this Friday. While choosing the right partner is a matter of paramount importance, there is another matter that should be treated with care. SECURITY. Kaspersky’s analysis has shown that within 2019 the region saw a circulation of 1,486 […]
[Updated] Corona Virus Uncertainty Clouds Mobile World Congress
With companies withdrawing from this year’s Mobile World Congress left, right and centre, it was only a matter of time before hosting the event would be deemed irresponsible. In fact, the feeling was that the event would be cancelled when GSMA (the event organisers) held a meeting regarding the fate of the tech event held […]
How Malicious Applications Operate On Your Phone
Secure-D, an anti-fraud organisation that detects and blocks mobile ad fraud, has released a report on mobile ad fraud and its impacts on users. Part of the report explains how malware designed for mobile ad fraud works on our smartphones. Distribution The initial stage of mobile ad fraud is distribution. This is when fraudsters trick […]
Global IT Spending Expected To Reach $3.9 Trillion This Year
Worldwide IT spending is projected to total $3.9 trillion in 2020, an increase of 3.4% from 2019, according to the latest forecast by Gartner, Inc. Global IT spending is expected to cross into $4 trillion territory next year. Although political uncertainties pushed the global economy closer to recession, it did not occur in 2019 and […]