Wow. It looks like Apple owners are really keen on upgrading their operating systems. The Cupertino-based tech giant says that downloads of its latest OS Mountain Lion have topped three million in the first four days its been available. According to the folks down at 1 Infinite Loop, this makes is the most successful iteration of OS X in history. “Just a year after the incredibly successful introduction of Lion, customers have downloaded Mountain Lion over three million times ...

This is clever. African mobile giant Vodacom has teamed with broadcasting house Primedia for a social, GPS-based game called Gotcha. The game will see listeners from the South African cities of Johannesburg and Cape Town chase down a virtual wallet, called Smart Money, in an attempt to win a share of R700 000. Here's how it works. You download the "Gotcha" app on your GPS-enabled smartphone. The app allows you to track Smart Money down to within 100 ...

It’s safe to say that we have all heard the phrases “UX” and “user experience” being used in conversation. Although people are beginning understand the value of providing a good user experience, they don’t necessarily understand what it is or how it works. In a nutshell, user experience is a concept or approach that is applied at all interaction points with your customer. It’s all about putting the user first, understanding their needs, and building a positive relationship with them. ...

In the 1700s radical French journalist Jean-Paul Marat used the power of his pen and his influence in the media as a vessel to channel his political passion and to rally the masses, in effect contributing greatly to the French revolution. Today, 'Marat-figures' take on different forms. When social networks aren't used as leverage to topple governments or to keep valuable relationships intact, they also serve as an everyday repository of information. Social networks have been cursed by a degree of ...

Social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter have fundamentally changed the nature of political discussion. They allow the common person to add his or her voice to the issues that are important to them and to connect with important decision-makers that might otherwise be out of their reach. Twitter has had a particularly profound effect on political discourse, even in emerging market countries like South Africa. In that country, this has been especially true for opposition leader Helen Zille, who ...

Batman’s toys haven’t always been well advised. Who remembers the infamous credit card from Batman and Robin? Or the ridiculous ice skates that miraculously appear during an encounter with Mr Freeze? Hell, let’s not dwell on the nipples the Batsuit sports during Joel Schumacher’s films. With Christopher Nolan at the helm however, Batman was became an icon we could actually believe in: a trained samurai who adopts theatricality and disguise to defeat his foes. His gadgets were similarly immersed in the ...

Business Day, a leading South African newspaper, is set to make the leap from "paper first" to "digital first" before eventually erecting a paywall around its content. According to the paper's editor Peter Bruce: Business Day will, very soon now, become a "digital first" news brand. We will begin to publish what we know when we know it on our newly designed website first, and make the newspaper after that. Then, a few months after that we’ll wrap a mesh ...

Ecommerce in South Africa is gaining traction with new ecommerce plays entering and exiting the market more and more frequently. Last year retail outlet Woolworths launched an online store for its fashion line, becoming one of the first major South African retailer to enter the ecommerce space. Now another chain retailer has joined the party. Affordable fashion retail outlet Mr Price's online store went live today under the moniker MRP. We are live!! #mrponline Woohoooo— Mr Price Fashion (@MrPriceFashion) July 30, ...

Turns out users of Chinese microblogging service Sina Weibo took to the first ever "social Olympics" with a gusto. During the opening ceremony alone, members of the social network sent 119-million messages. In an official infographic, Sina Weibo details the total number of messages sent on the opening day of the games, as well as the most active locations and most spoken about topics. It is unclear what criteria were used, although it's likely that reposts and comments were included. ...

Earnings calls underscore some of the strategies being deployed in the tech industry. Take Zynga's Q2 earnings for example: announcing that it lost US$22.8-million, or three cents per share. In the same Quarter last year, it earned US$1.4-million a year ago. At one stage, shares were down a whopping 38%. These numbers are hardly surprising, seeing as Zynga is notorious for copying competitor games and generally being unethical in the industry. It also went rather gung-ho into acquiring OMGPOP, the maker ...