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  • 75 examples of people doing great things with mobile

    By on 17 August, 2012

    We live in a mobile world. Our smartphones and tablets have become surrogate limbs, ushering in the post-PC era. A part of that is down to the increasing desire of such devices but an even bigger part is down to how readily they allow us to access the internet, matching -- and in some cases surpassing -- the PC experience. It's hardly surprising therefore that the most recent report from "Queen of the internet" Mary Meeker suggests that mobile accounts for 10% of all web traffic and that 1.1-billion people now have access to 3G connections. That number is...

  • Rio Ferdinand fined £45k for responding to a tweet

    By on 17 August, 2012

    The English Football Association (FA) has fined Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand £45 000 for responding to a tweet in which a user called Chelsea player Ashley Cole “choc ice”. Ferdinand then responded to the tweet, saying “I hear you fella! Choc ice is classic hahahahahaha!!”. According to Sky Sports news, a charge of improper conduct laid against Ferdiand by the FA was proved to be correct by an independent commission. On its site the FA issued an official statement saying, "The Commission decided that the comment was improper and brought the game into disrepute. "In addition, the Commission found that the...

  • Is Thnkr a legitimate challenge to the powerhouse that is TED?

    By on 17 August, 2012

    As video, and YouTube in particular, moves closer and closer to the centre of everything that happens on the internet, so innovative thinkers are finding ever more extraordinary ways to leverage its power for good. YouTube is no longer just ground zero for time wasting and idle surfing, it’s become a serious platform for disseminating ideas and stating movements. Into this burgeoning space comes Thnkr, a YouTube channel which is offering content to inspire and uplift and provoke a media-savvy generation. And the leader in this field, the mighty TED talks should sit up and take notice. Thnkr is...

  • Asus Zenbook: The world’s most beautiful ultrabook?

    By on 17 August, 2012

    For some time now it's been pretty obvious who's been leading the laptop stakes. I don’t want to say it, but let’s just say it’s a company that begins with “A”. Again its caught computer manufacturers around the world with its pants down, consistently innovating with products like the MacBook Air and user interface innovations like multi-touch and Retina Display. The only premium laptop around has been the Sony Vaio, but even now there is a sense that this brand is falling behind (as a long-term Vaio user, I’m just not excited by the latest releases). Read more on Gearburn....

  • What happens when PR companies go into social consulting?

    By on 17 August, 2012

    SocialxDesign (Social by Design) a high-end social media consulting firm launched this week with Eastwick, a top Silicon Valley PR firm, as investor. The CEO is Giovanni Rodriguez, who just left Deloitte and used to be a partner at Eastwick, and Chief Strategy Officer Toby Chaudhuri, a top public affairs consultant in Washington, DC. The two met while working for a White House Hispanic initiative and they realized that large enterprises had a lot to learn from combining Silicon Valley's tech and social media skills, with Washington's expertise in creating communities and maintaining conversations. Here are some key points, and my analysis...

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  • 13 inspirational documentaries for entrepreneurs

    By on 17 August, 2012

    We understand that starting a business can be a pretty wild ride and that some business owners experience feelings of guilt when they do anything outside of work, not involved with running their businesses. Documentaries have a way of conveying profound ideas in an entertaining way that can lead to new thoughts, inspire action or simply shine a light on a stones unturned. If you're struggling to unplug, we hope these 13 documentaries will not only inspire you (to continue) to pursue your dreams, but also to kick back and de-stress for a moment -- you'll probably end up learning something. Read...

  • Lonmin shooting: South Africans use social to mourn, vent, debate

    By on 17 August, 2012

    South Africa is reeling after a shootout between police and striking miners Marikana, Rustenburg left 35 people dead. A number of the miners were reportedly armed when they charged toward police lines, after pleas from union leaders to put a halt to the action failed. It is unclear however who fired first. There has been serious activity across social media channels with Twitter the most active, causing South Africa to briefly trend globally. For a number of people, the shooting was reminder of other violent incidents in the country's past: The actions of the police yesterday have reminded us of...

  • Android voice search gets support for 13 new languages

    By on 17 August, 2012

    Voice search: it's one of the biggest battles going on in tech today and Google just let off its latest round of ammo. The internet giant today announced that voice search for Android would now support an additional 13 languages. The feature was already available in 29 languages, bringing the to total to 42 languages and accents supported in 46 countries. According to Google, this means that 100-million people across world can now find what they want by speaking to their phones. Google product manager Bertrand Damiba says that although the company receives help from hundreds of thousands of volunteers,...

  • Wikileaks warns journos on language as Ecuador grants Assange asylum

    By on 16 August, 2012

    Wikileaks has sent a warning out to media organisations around the world threatening them with libel suits after its founder Julian Assange was granted asylum by Ecuador. the confirmation of asylum from the South American country comes two months after the man behind the well-known cable-leaking site turned to its embassy after the UK Supreme Court refused to reopen his appeal against extradition to Sweden over allegations that he committed sexual offences against two women. Earlier today, the organisation sent out a tweet warning media that using the word "charges" when referring to the allegations against Assange would open their...

  • Domain name a big factor in eNews Channel rebrand

    By on 16 August, 2012

    The eNews channel, part of the multi-billion rand terrestrial broadcasting company Sabido, is set to relaunch as the eNews Channel Africa (eNCA). Memeburn can reveal that the rebranding was in part influenced by the need for a short, simple domain as the broadcaster looks to launch a digital presence. eNews group head Patrick Conroy confirmed the rebrand on Twitter, adding that it the change was needed in order to avoid confusion as the channel expands its international offering. @jdrsampson eNews Channel Africa, eNCA. Need acronym to travel internationally. 'eNews' confused with E! and other brands.— Patrick Conroy (@PatrickConroySA) August 16, 2012 The independent...

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  • Judge to Samsung, Apple: try talking to each other

    By on 16 August, 2012

    I am of the opinion that Samsung and Apple should hug it out and it seems the judge presiding over the case agrees. It's a bit of a tiresome dance really, Apple is claiming that Samsung copied its mobile products (specifically the iPhone and iPad) and Samsung is countering with the defense that it didn't. According to a Reuters report U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh told the two companies to talk about a settlement over the phone "at least once" this weekend, before the case reaches the jury next week. "It's time for peace," said the judge during...

  • Instagram 3.0: Pin your filtered food pics geographically

    By on 16 August, 2012

    If you're the kind of person who spends their nights out at restaurants taking finding the perfect filter for your food photos, the new version of Instagram will have you jumping out of your skinny jeans with excitement. You see Instagram 3.0 allows you to display all your geotagged photos on a map. So you can now let people know exactly where you ate the Malaysian-style scallops on a bed of Hawaiian sea grass, or where you saw that cute piece of park bench graffiti. Of course, if you'd rather not gift people a the kind of surveillance...

  • Social Media: not just a post-production bolt on

    By on 16 August, 2012

    The days of the huge budget 30 second commercial are waning; not over; but waning. The fact of the matter is that the playing field has changed and marketers are changing with it. Does that then mean that TV and the much celebrated 30 second prime time spot are history? Or is there something else. The inspiration for this article came from an interview that Andy Fennell gave to Ad Age a few weeks ago. For those of you not familiar with Mr. Fennell (yes, he is so inspired that I shall address him as Mister); he is currently the...

  • What can we learn from South Africa’s most influential tweeters?

    By on 16 August, 2012

    So far in our series on the South African Twittersphere, we explored what lessons we can learn from conversations happening around two key political figures, opposition leader Helen Zille and president Jacob Zuma. We then mapped a large portion of the South African Twitter network in order to identify who had the most followers and the sub-communities that exist within the network. While it is useful to know who has the most followers, this is not necessarily the best way of understanding who truly wields influence. To get a better grasp on who is influential within the network, our last...

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  • Google Fiber: still exciting after all the hype

    By on 16 August, 2012

    With speeds 100 times faster than the average American connection, the option of free internet or a full media service, Google Fiber is an exciting prospect for consumers -- even if it might take a while to reach the rest of the world. Fiber keeps you regular For those who live under a rock, or somehow haven’t heard about the most ambitious internet infrastructure and service being offered today, let us introduce you to Google Fiber (GF). Google Fiber is direct-to-home fiber-optics based communication. In other words -- really fast internet that is affordable. It’s all starting in Kansas City,...

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