The Weekly Roundup #118: Vodacom ‘steals’ data, Galaxy Note 8 & more

Welcome to The Weekly Roundup, our podcast discussing the latest tech trends, innovation and news from the past week.

This week, Hadlee Simons hosts Stephen Timm and Julia Breakey in studio.

We kick off the week by discussing the Vodacom scandal that saw many users lose their data due to a “billing issue”. The debacle got so heated it even caught the eye of former Public Protector Thuli Madonsela, with Police minister Fikile Mbalula also affected.

In another Memeburn story, we celebrate the hashtag’s tenth anniversary. The popular Twitter feature was first suggested by Chris Messina in 2007 and has inspired wonderful trends like #PopeBars, #TheDress and #SocialMediaBlackOut.

Over on Gearburn, Hadlee discusses the launch of the Galaxy Note 8, which boasts a dual camera system and a staggering price tag. In the heat of the moment, Julia does poor maths but the point stands: the phone could pay for a fancy pizza every other day for a year.

Finally, Stephen talks his series of interviews with corporations, offering advice to startups looking to approach them. Capitec wants to see startups walk the walk, while Woolworths prefers a solid team over grand ideas.

What are we watching, reading, playing: Julia is reading The Disaster Artist by Greg Sestoro and Tom Bissell, a memoir about working on The Room, a film considered by many to be the worst ever made. She is also watching The Bold Type, the feminist millenial show that is essentially Cosmopolitan in series form.

Stephen is busy jamming some sessions at The Striped Horse in Muizenberg every Tuesday night, because he’s too cool for us.

Hadlee is currently reviewing the Sony Xperia XZ Premium, which has a great slow-mo feature that unfortunately only lasts a tenth of a second. He’s also fanboy-ing over Brand New’s latest album Science Fiction, which is looking to be the first of theirs to debut at number one.

Recommended Reading:

• Update: Vodacom’s nightmare data fiasco fuels social media fire
• #Hashtag10: 10 favourite hashtags for 10 years
• Galaxy Note 8 official, packs wide-angle and telephoto cameras [Update]
• Pitching to Woolworths? Not just about idea, but team behind it – online head

Additional Reading:

• Show your work, don’t just share ideas, Capitec innovation head tells startups
• Startups, have an app or web platform you want to sell to Old Mutual?
• Looking to sell that app or platform to Barclays Africa? Here’s what to consider