Samsung Electronics unveiled the latest versions of its flagship Galaxy S smartphones on Wednesday which feature enhanced camera functions and a faster processor chip, hoping the upgrade will revive sales after two weak years. The S22 series will directly compete with Apple’s iPhone 13 launched last September. Samsung’s two-track premium mobile strategy has it launching flagship models in the first half of a year and Galaxy Z foldable phones in the second. Aimed at appealing to consumers who are fussy about video and photo quality, Samsung said the S22 phones’ camera offers clearer low light and night shots as well as automatic...
Broadcaster Jeremy Maggs joins Brave Group, an Integrated Communications Firm
Broadcaster and journalist Jeremy Maggs has joined Brave Group as managing director of Bold, its executive communications and advisory firm. Brave Group is the one of the country’s leading majority Black-owned integrated communications groups, according to the authoritative annual Scopen Report 2019/20. Bold is a vital addition to the company’s fast-growing suite of offerings to further drive integration. Bold offers a range of vital high-level communications services aimed principally at the C-suite. Drawing on over 35 years’ experience in the media industry, Maggs will work with C-suite executives in advising, crafting and fine-tuning both internal and external communications. Says Maggs:...
Nova Pioneer Midrand Making A Difference in Alex
In celebration of ‘Make A Difference Day’ earlier this year, Nova Pioneer Midrand students successfully embarked on a book collection drive with the hope of donating their books to a school based in the Alexandra township, North of Johannesburg this December. The learning model of the Nova Pioneer schools fosters a great love of reading through daily read-alouds, guided reading and writers’ workshops. Our students donated pre-loved books to children who do not have easy access to books. “It was so heartwarming to see the enthusiasm from our Novaneers to share their books. They understand the magic of stories that...
Your Job is Not Safe: Robotics & AI put 800 Million Global Jobs at Risk
Advances in automation technology threaten a significant share of jobs in industries accounting for nearly a quarter of the global workforce, according to Bloomberg Economics’ estimates. In a report released Tuesday, economists Ziad Daoud and Scott Johnson said that could mean as many as 800 million people face a high exposure to the risk of their employment becoming obsolete. The Gulf Cooperation Council, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Japan are most vulnerable to disruption from automation, they wrote. That’s because those countries have a large segment of the workforce in the kind of simple, routine roles that can be most easily...
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New Study Says Apple iPhone Owners Have Higher Chance of Getting Dates
According to a new study, Apple device users are more attractive on popular on dating apps compared to Android owners. CompareMyMobile put the study together by creating similar profiles that outwardly displayed preferences towards Apple or Android products. Analyzing more than 50,000 dating app “swipes and matches” in 15 major cities, the mobile platform noticed that Apple Watch, AirPods and iPhone users were significantly more attractive. Profiles displaying an iPhone had a 76 percent chance of being swiped right, the Apple Watch garnered a 61 percent chance while showing off AirPods brought chances to 41 percent. In comparison showing off a Samsung device brings a 19 percent chance, with all other...
Amazon Echo speakers get New models, Higher prices, and More hub power
The Echo speaker lineup gets an upgrade—Echo Dot is more capable than ever with a built-in smart home hub, while a new Echo Studio gains a camera that lets Alexa+ see and help. Echo Dot and Echo Studio are two of our most-loved speakers—the most affordable way to bring great sound to any room in the home, and the best way to fill any room with immersive, spatial audio. Now both are getting an upgrade: a next-generation Echo Dot that does more than ever and an all-new Echo Studio with Home Camera that gives Alexa+ visual intelligence to be able to see and do more....
Hellopeter relaunch with new AI Capabilities that reads every review
Hellopeter, South Africa’s largest consumer review/complains platform, has relaunched on a completely rebuilt platform. Its AI now reads the reviews on business profiles and scores each business on the service themes that matter in its industry, from claims handling at insurers to delivery at online retailers. The switch, on 16 September, moved more than 4.3 million reviews, more than 3 million users and more than 106,000 businesses to the new platform. For consumers, every industry page now shows a short AI summary of what customers in that sector experience, and which company scores best on each service theme. In car insurance,...
CHATGPT Ads are Live in SA: Being ready counts more than being early writes Caleb Shepard
ChatGPT ads went live for South African users this week. TDMC (The Digital Media Collective) Media Director Caleb Shepard looks at what this means for local brands and warns that most will waste their first rand on them. He shares three key insights for local e-commerce businesses as the shopfront moves inside the chatbot. Since 21 October this year, South African businesses have been able to buy ads inside ChatGPT through OpenAI’s self-serve Ads Manager, and South Africans on the free and Go plans have started seeing them. According to OpenAI, its platform now reaches more than 1.2 billion people...
RADIO SHOW: Rethabile Mohlala Explains Why voting in Local Government is Important?
WHY LOCAL GOVERNMENT IN IMPORTANT? Local government constitutes the sphere of government that is closest to South African citizens, because it is responsible for the delivery of basic services that have a direct impact on their lives. It is designed to function through an inclusive, democratic and accountable system underpinned by transparency and strong institutional integrity, with the interests of residents and business being represented by the people that they elect and the communities and community organisations that are directly involved through structured public participation processes. In order to achieve these objectives, ensure effective service delivery and enhance the quality...
Netflix hires ex-Apple Podcasts executive to steer its podcast ambitions
Netflix confirmed Steve Wilson is coming aboard to run podcast content acquisitions, beginning in a consulting capacity. He declined to comment. The timing stands out. Earlier this month, Netflix said it would cut headcount by 6%, while its podcast push is still early. Even so, adding a seasoned dealmaker signals Netflix plans to keep experimenting with audio on its video stage. The strategy and the tug of war with YouTube Last year, Netflix began asking select podcasters to bring video versions of their shows to its app, naming The Breakfast Club and The Bill Simmons Podcast as examples. The tradeoff was clear: those programs...
Helen Zille’s plan to fix Joburg’s finances, potholes and water crisis
DA Johannesburg mayoral candidate Helen Zille says stabilising the city’s finances, tackling corruption and fixing its billing system would be central to her proposed turnaround strategy if the party takes control of the municipality. Speaking to 702, Zille said Johannesburg was owed R81 billion while owing its creditors R25 billion, describing the city’s financial position as a major obstacle to delivering basic services. She said the municipality was struggling to afford essential operational expenses, including fuel for vehicles and spare parts for substations. “There isn’t enough money to put fuel into vehicles, to buy any spare parts for substations,” Zille...
Apple unveils pricey touchscreen MacBook laptops, a first for the iPhone maker
Apple CEO John Ternus unveiled the company’s first touchscreen MacBooks on Wednesday, abandoning a long-held aversion to the technology as it caps a burst of product launches ahead of the holiday shopping season. On stage at an Apple event in Los Angeles, Ternus showed a MacBook Pro model with an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display, playing up the display’s contrast, sharpness and brightness in front of an audience of content creators and creative professionals. He also said the company would return to a glowing logo on the back of the laptops. “Look, we love the Mac, and it’s the reason why...
OPINION | The Wine Business Needs to Wake Up writes Gary Vee
The wine business needs to wake up. There’s such a ludicrous delusion in the wine world of what the fuck is going on with human beings. Period. It’s to the point where, and this is why I’m posting wine content right now, me giving 0.01% effort can have a bigger impact than 99% of what’s going on in marketing in the wine world. I was talking with my team about this. One of them worked for years picking grapes in Sonoma County, in the Russian River area, and told me what growers are saying now that harvest is wrapping up....
VOTE4Change: ActionSA shares plans to fix Jo’burg potholes within a week under 5-year plan
ActionSA wants to overhaul Johannesburg’s municipal finances, accelerate the replacement of ageing water pipes and improve road maintenance, with a target of repairing potholes within a week by the end of a five-year term. The party’s National Chairperson, Michael Beaumont, outlined the proposals during an interview on 702 about how political parties plan to address the challenges facing metros ahead of the local government elections. Beaumont said municipalities should cut wasteful expenditure and redirect funds towards essential services and infrastructure before increasing the financial burden on residents. He also argued that ActionSA would use its position in coalition negotiations to...
OPINION | From Using A.I to Thinking A.I First writes John Sanei, Futurist and Entrepreneur
Someone recently asked me how we move from being A.I literate to A.I enabled to becoming A.I first, and I appreciated the distinction because each stage changes our relationship with work itself. Think of it as 100, 200 and 300 levels, where progress comes through experience, experimentation and the willingness to rethink habits that once served us well. At the 100 level, you become A.I literate by using the tools, learning to describe the outcome you want, providing context and evaluating what comes back, until useful results become something you can reliably create. At the 200 level, you become A.I enabled, connecting the technology to tools...