YouTube Go turns YouTube into offline video portal

Apple's iTunes makes sharing purchases with loved ones rather easy, but Google-toting users can get in on the action now as well. The Google Play Family Library feature allows up to six family members to share purchases, the company announced in a blog post. "When you buy an eligible app, game, movie, TV show, or book in the Play Store, you can now share it with your family -- across devices -- with no additional sign-up fee," the company elaborated. Android devices have access to all shared content, while movies, TV shows and books can be shared via iOS devices and the web...

An article published in Ad Age quotes Kimberley-Clark CMO, Clive Sirken predicting that the advertising agency of the future will adopt an Uber-like approach: “managing the traffic without owning the ride, or in the case of agencies, owning the relationship with a client, the strategy and data without owning the execution”. Agencies still in existence have, out of necessity, undergone massive change over the past decade. As brands recognised that suturing all aspects of brand exposure into a cohesive representation of the organisation, advertising agencies have upskilled into social, digital, and mobile – or bought up companies specialising in these...

If you're a prepaid user on one of South Africa's mobile phone networks, chances are that you use a USSD code every day. Whenever you check your airtime, load more airtime or request a call from someone who has more airtime than you, you're using a USSD code. Often, you'll remember these as some of the most used codes, but there are a few you might not know exist. Below, we take a look at some of the USSD codes you really should remember, as well as their functions, for the biggest networks in South Africa. Note: we'll be sure to...

Back in the early 1900s when Wilbur and Orville Wright took off in the world's first  powered and sustained airplane, man knew that they could reach for the stars and beyond. Ever since the Wright brothers took off, the world has seen steady innovations in aviation; jet turbines, panoramic views, WiFi, I'm pretty sure that the brothers never in their wildest dreams imagined it to go this far. It seems another man is hoping the world will look to his crazy idea for new aviation and renewable energy breakthroughs. The Solar Impulse project, which started with Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg, has...

Many people cite Sony's PlayStation 4 as keeping the company afloat, but clearly Apple's in the same boat, using the iPhone as a paddle, bucket and plug for its current profit-leaking business model. The company today announced its Q3 2016 earnings, and it's a mixed bag. While its Q3 2016 sales and revenue beat forecasts, the company's still down on its Q3 2015 numbers. Let's start with the brightest spark: the App Store. "Our Services business grew 19 percent year-over-year and App Store revenue was the highest ever, as our installed base continued to grow and transacting customers hit an all-time record,"...

God, we're getting sick of Pokemon Go. Granted, it's a cultural phenomenon that's sweeping the world, but enough is enough. Surely? We're kinda guilty of perpetuating the craze though. Head on over to Gearburn for more on the game's mechanics and inner workings, and have a look over here for Memeburn's reaction to the title. But today, we're featuring something a little more snarky than even our articles. Related: 10 examples of Pokemon Go going way too far on Twitter The folks over at Smosh Games got hold of Pokemon Go for an honest game trailer, and well, we results are pretty......

Great news for those constantly hassled by insurances companies who want your money (and soul). This week, everyone's non-evil company Google announced that it will now warn users of incoming spam callers through its Google Phone app. Now, this announcement won't be useful for everyone. The app -- available natively through Google's Android One and Nexus programmes -- is not yet available for those not running on Android Marshmallow or above. Still, it's a tale of the future. On Gearburn: Android One arrives in Africa with the $90 Infinix Hot 2 The company notes that the feature can now be switched on...

One of the coolest Pokemon Go-related things we've seen are businesses using the lure module item to attract people to their premises. The item attracts rare Pokemon to the area for a period of time, allowing players to catch them in the process. Let's face it though: there are some businesses and premises that shouldn't use these items -- we picked a few. Adult stores No matter your opinion on sex shops, placing a Lure Module to attract customers to Adult World might just result in some under-age people wondering into the store. Not exactly legal. Or imagine the conversation when a child tries dragging...

Thanks to the latest cold front system that's taking its sweet time passing over South Africa, much of the country's interior is blanketed in a thick layer of snow. It's not unprecedented, it's just unexpected, especially since the country is in the throws of one of its worst droughts in recent memory. So, being the upvote lovers that humans are, many adventure seekers have taken to the Eastern Cape highlands, the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands and the Free State to craft snowmen, throw snowballs at one another and make snow angels. For all those shenanigans and more, have a look at the light...

The Wireless Application Services Providers' Association (WASPA) has called on the government to stop charging import duties on smartphones, saying that they aren't a luxury. The association said that mobile use needs to be encouraged, because of the relationship between mobile data usage and GDP growth. It cited a GSMA study, which found that doubling mobile data usage resulted in the GDP growing by 0.5%. "Unfortunately, while cellphone handsets enable this GDP-boosting data usage, smartphones attract ad valorem duty, plus 14% VAT, when imported into the country," WASPA explained in a statement. Read more: Telkom reveals FreeMe - six rather attractive mobile data plans "WASPA...

If there's one major annoyance about watching 3D movies at the cinema, it's that you require 3D glasses to actually watch them. But what if you could leave the glasses behind? A team from MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab and Israel's Weizmann Institute of Science have come up with a cinema screen that doesn't require 3D spectacles. The so-called "Cinema 3D" screen makes use of 50 sets of lenses and mirrors to get the job done, allowing viewers to watch the glasses-free 3D action from any seat. "Existing approaches to glasses-free 3D require screens whose resolution requirements are so enormous that...

A workplace development that’s gaining traction is the use of gamification as a means of monitoring and motivating workforce efficiency. Gaming principles in a non-gaming environment can alter how individuals, teams and managers interact with each other, and have some unusual applications, too. While gamification technology is very different to popular game Pokemon Go, the effect is just as interesting: motivating a primarily younger workforce likely to have grown up with console gaming by simulating a gaming environment at work so that they will relate to it. All across the US and other countries, millennials have surprised their communities by heading...

Email has found itself in a precarious situation. While it’s still everywhere -- and not going anywhere -- its users have no shortage of legitimate complaints. Chief among them: email marketing -- which fills inboxes all day, every day -- is basically synonymous with spam. It’s not targeted and not helpful. It’s insincere, and attempts at personalization are trite. It’s difficult to read on mobile devices. Because of its comparatively long career in the marketing world, it gets dumped into the “boring, but necessary, I guess” category. While this may sound like bad news to email marketers, there’s no better time...

Google Maps' latest update now allows users to get a more up to date sense of what's happening in their surrounding areas. It also brings a few UI improvements. To achieve a cleaner look, the company has gone for a more subtle and balanced colour scheme and removed unwanted elements like road outlines. The new look, according to the company, allows users to see helpful and actionable information like traffic and transit a lot clearer. "We’ve improved the typography of street names, points of interest, transit stations, and more to make them more distinguishable from other things on the map, helping...

After reports earlier today, Verizon has confirmed that it's acquiring ailing internet company Yahoo in a deal worth US$4.8-billion. The joint statement confirms that the sale won't include Yahoo's cash, Yahoo Japan, Alibaba and 3000 patents. "These assets will continue to be held by Yahoo, which will change its name at closing and become a registered, publicly traded investment company," Yahoo confirmed. Verizon says that the move will help contribute to its goal of becoming a top media operation, as Yahoo will be integrated into AOL. "Just over a year ago we acquired AOL to enhance our strategy of providing a cross-screen connection...