Takealot wins big at PriceCheck Tech & Ecommerce Awards

When I read this infographic about the death decline of the once all-powerful BlackBerry, my first thought was "Ag, shame." Ever wondered how it all went from QWERTY happiness to US$15 a share for the crowd over in Canada? Here is the sad story, all neatly packaged into this infographic along with a progressively balding BlackBerry fan. Ok, so opinions vary on exactly how 'dead' BlackBerry really is. There are still a fair number of loyal users and other human beings who are hoping they may be able to pull themselves out of this mess, and bring out a phone...

It has become commonplace for politicians to engage audiences through social media. Whatever your views may be on the efficacy of, or motives behind these campaigns, one thing is clear, the public can engage with candidates and those in office like never before. MXit is a South African social media success story, the largest network of its kind in Africa. On the eve of Freedom Day, a significant South African public holiday which celebrates the country’s first post-apartheid elections, MXit hosted an event fostering engagement between the National Planning Commission (NPC) and the public. The NPC is a government initiative...

Tsk tsk. It wasn't all that long ago that a US judge was telling Apple and Samsung to play nice. Apparently the South Korean tech giant took that to mean "organise a flashmob at Apple's Australian headquarters". The flashmob comprised a bus full of protesters telling Apple customers to "Wake Up". It seems that the "protest" is probably an attempt at generating buzz around the Galaxy S III, set to be released on 3 May. An Aussie marketing blog did some research and tracked the campaign back to an Agency called Tongue. The same company is behind the Wake Up...

Humans have always been a species on the move; it’s why we have presences in all but the most inhospitable parts of the planet. But we‘re also a species that thrives on connections. That’s why technologies that make it easier for us to stay connected tend to do so well. Those which fulfil both needs tend to do even better. Prior to the industrial revolution the best you could hope for when it came to moving and staying connected was a cart on land and a sailing ship at sea. Since then transportation has exploded. A stunning video, commissioned...

The buzz around Prometheus just keeps on growing. After all that has been done to promote the Ridley Scott flick, you've got to ask: what more can they possibly do? Glad you asked. UK's Channel 4 is kicking things up a notch with live tweets, reports MediaWeek. Channel 4 will be airing the world premiere of the trailer to Prometheus on Sunday 29 April, which will be followed by viewers responses to the trailer from Twitter. The selection of tweets will be broadcast during a special 40-second ad slot. Prometheus, which is shot entirely in 3D, is set in...

If brilliance is a crime, Samsung’s Galaxy Nexus is a mass-murderer. From tip to toe, the Nexus exudes class. It doesn’t have the glass and metal knockout combo of the iPhone 4S, rather a plastic shell with a screen which seems to melt into the sides of the phone. At 135g, the Nexus is a heavyweight which is baffling considering the all-plastic exterior. We can chalk this up to the massive battery which lurks inside. Read (a lot) more on Gearburn.comvar vglnk={key:"cc324b6567a9637aa0ff15bc9564b2a5"};!function(e,a){var t=e.createElement(a);t.type="text/javascript",t.async=!0,t.src="//cdn.viglink.com/api/vglnk.js";var n=e.getElementsByTagName(a);n.parentNode.insertBefore(t,n)}(document,"script");

Google wants to tackle extremism, not with a full-scale invasion of a conveniently oil-rich country, but with an online network. The network, called Against Violent Extremism (AVE), is the brainchild of the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) with support from the internet giant’s think/do tank Google Ideas, the Gen Next Foundation and other partners. According to Google, AVE brings together “former extremists, survivors, non-profits and private sector leaders from around the world” with the aim of tackling “the problem of violent extremism”. The company says the main focus is on stopping young people from becoming radicalised. In order...

BlackBerry’s native messaging service BBM hasn’t always had good press. It’s been blamed for inciting riots, and a number of governments have sought to control it. But how effective is it when it gets used for good? The answer, apparently, is very as one South African community found out for itself. The residents decided to harness BBM in their fight against the pollution of a man-made lake. When the lake began giving off a foul smell, the suburb’s Residents and Ratepayer’s Association was asked to investigate. As a volunteer-run, non-profit organisation, it realised that it would need a cost-efficient...

Readers of our sister site Gearburn might recall an infographic detailing how many gamers were dating other gamers. But what if you wanted to make the information from it better, what would you do? Add Ferrigno. Lou Ferrigno, that is. The former Incredible Hulk star straps a pug to his chest and feeds a deer in this video explaining why online gaming is now sexy. Ferrigno cautions, however, games like World of Warcraft “may be a more effective medium for meeting your significant other than OK Cupid or, you know, real life, but don’t be too quick to assume...

According to rumours, the MacBook Air will phase in as the MacBook Pro is effectively killed off. There’s no better time then for an iPad which morphs into a MacBook Air, care of this dazzlingly innovative Kickstarter.com project named "The Brydge". The description on Kickstarter.com sounds promising. Read more on Gearburn.comvar vglnk={key:"cc324b6567a9637aa0ff15bc9564b2a5"};!function(e,a){var t=e.createElement(a);t.type="text/javascript",t.async=!0,t.src="//cdn.viglink.com/api/vglnk.js";var n=e.getElementsByTagName(a);n.parentNode.insertBefore(t,n)}(document,"script");

WooThemes is a bona fide South African startup success story. The premium WordPress theme developer was already raking in over US$2 million in sales in 2010. The latest news from WooThemes is less rosy. Adriaan “Adii” Pienaar, WooThemes co-founder released a statement today, confirming that WooThemes were the target of a recent “very malicious & severe hack, which has been the reason for WooThemes.com being offline for this time.” Pienaar notes that despite possible data loss related to recent user accounts, no sensitive or confidential data were seized and that users’ encrypted credit card details are safe and hosted elsewhere. For...