Weekly Round Up #37: Google event, Takealot raising 1bn, Tesla Model X and Edward Snowden on Twitter

Welcome to Weekly Roundup, our podcast discussing the tech trends, innovation and news from the last few days.

This week on BurnCast, Stuart Thomas, Jacques Coetzee, Graham van de Made and Andy Walker discuss the Google event, Takealot, Edward Snowden and the Tesla Model X.

Earlier this week, Google laid out the red carpet and announced new devices. You can watch the event here.

Amongst the exciting announcements Google made were new Nexus devices: the Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P, and its Google Pixel C. The team discusses the possibility of the Nexus devices coming to South Africa, the similarities of the Pixel C to Microsoft’s surface. The team also talks about the possibility of Google making Android available on all of its platforms.

Rumour has it that the South African ecommerce giant Takealot is raising R1-billion in funding. When Takealot raised a US$100-million investment in 2014, the objective was to expand in South Africa and sub-Saharan Africa, an objective that has not happened. Instead the company splashed that money on acquiring startups.

Takealot has not confirmed the rumour, but the team talks about what the company can do with that amount. Will it start a local online marketplace, expand into Sub-Saharan Africa, or do what Takealot does best, acquire other eCommerce startups.

Read more: Google Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P: the critical numbers and specs

Edward Snowden, that old elusive chap, has re-surfaced on the interwebs like a virus would. Immediately after joining Twitter Snowden had more followers than the Memeburn writers combined. Snowden’s first tweet “Can you hear me now?” got more than 94 000 retweets and 85 000 favourites.

The tweet is an old Verizon Wireless ad campaign slogan. During the Edward Snowden whistle blowing stories, the National Security Agency’s mass surveillance of Verizon phone records broke in June 2013. The other interesting thingis that Snowden is only the NSA, it does not get cooler than that.

BMW has not had a particularly good week but Tesla has been having a field day. This week, Tesla finally released the Model X, its six or seven seater electric SUV. The first concept version of the car first appeared in 2012. The team debates Tesla’s strategy, are they existing for consumers to afford their cars or to be a blueprint for future cars, much cheaper but as impressive as Tesla’s cars are.

The team could not ignore the Model X’s Falcon wing doors. As amazing as they may be, the team wonders about their practically and fitting them into parking spaces. Perhaps Tesla might now look into building parking bays and add something electric to them, like a rocket, who can say.

Read more:

Takealot rumoured to raise an additional ‘R1bn’

Edward Snowden’s first tweet got some crazy RTs

Here’s everything you need to know about the Tesla Model X

Google Pixel C sounds like a Microsoft Surface but runs Android Marshmallow

Android is now used by 1.4 billion people worldwide