Jacob Zuma returns with a brand new Twitter account

The Google Glass team has moved to defend their creation against privacy concerns, saying that it was a top priority from the moment they conceptualised it. "Privacy was top of mind as we designed the product," Product Director for Google Glass Steven Lee said during a fireside chat with developers during Google I/O. According to Lee, early prototypes of Glass covered the eye but the team quickly realised that eye contact was incredibly important. That's why the display on Google Glass is where it is. "You'll know when someone with Glass is paying attention to you," Lee said. "If...

Have a sustainable business plan that needs funding? Emerging Stars might help you out. Operating mainly in emerging markets and driven by models of sustainability, the organization links entrepreneurs’ products and services with international investors and distributors. Although the website was launched in 2008, the site’s design recently got revamped into having “a sustainable business model” while also focusing on its “free business listings.” “Grow a business and save the world” reads the slogan of Emerging Stars.The initiative was founded by Raymond Hasselerharm in an attempt to promote foreign trade and investment as well as help relieving poverty. The initiative...

I’m beginning to think we might as well just consider Huawei and ZTE, given that they seem to pop up together constantly in the news. And, unfortunately for both companies, it’s never something good. When we last checked in with the dynamic duo it was because they were (and still are) under investigation by Indian Intelligence authorities, and now there’s more bad news for the Chinese telecoms in the form of this Reuters report suggesting the European Union may levy trade duties against Huawei and ZTE over what it considers to be illegal subsidies from the Chinese government. Needless to...

Things are stirring in the house of Yahoo! According to multiple sources, the Silicon Valley veteran is in talks to buy popular social blogging platform Tumblr for a staggering US$1-billion. Yahoo! CFO Ken Goldman, is cited in AllthingsD as expressing the need for the company to be "cool again". Goldman was speaking at JP Morgan’s Global Technology conference earlier this week. The CFO was very explicit about the company's shortcomings and how to fix it, reports AllthingsD. "One of our challenges is we have had an aging demographic. Part of it is going to be just visibility again in...

Kai, the hatchet-wielding hitchhiker who shot to viral fame after saving a woman from her attacker, has been arrested on suspicion of murder. The internet star, whose real name is Caleb McGillvary, was arrested at a Philadelphia bus station after allegedly beating a lawyer to death inside his home, reports the Associated Press. McGillvary was charged with killing Joseph Galfy, Jr, a New Jersey attorney who was found dead two days after authorities said he met McGillvary in New York City. Galfy was reportedly found wearing only his underwear and socks by police who went to his home to check...

It's official: more than 50-billion apps have been downloaded from the Apple App Store since it was launched in mid 2008. With iDevice usage climbing monumentally since then, no one's doubting the success of the App Store, as more and more owners of iDevices are logging in to get their hands on everything from Instagram to Angry Birds. It's not a milestone that Apple has let sneak by unnoticed: to draw attention to the fact that its App Store has been racking up downloads, the company has been running a (illustrative, not technically accurate) counter on the front page...

A map is a map is a map, right? Except maps change and evolve, based on our knowledge, all the time and Google is looking to make the next big step in their evolution. The internet giant's mapping division says it's trying to build a future in which Google can "create millions of custom maps...each one just for you." These maps, it claims, will always be "adapting to the task you want to perform right this minute". The first steps toward that future were taken with the launch of a revamped Google Maps at its I/o developer conference. The...

Stimulating the money-making part of your brain, the South African Protea Hotels try to give you a taste of what it's like being in their shoes. So watch out Railroad Tycoon, Protea Hospitality Group just launched its own business simulation app. This is to see if we've got what it takes to successfully manage a hotel. This iOS app runs like a game and is meant to be "simple and entertaining" while teaching you financial skills. This is done by "challenging to think laterally to improve revenue." Apart from customer satisfaction, a successful revenue stream is the most...

Social media is everywhere, but is it right for the financial industry? Many companies in more ‘traditional’ industries (like finance) see social media as new age and perhaps haven’t given much thought to including it as part of their marketing communications. The fact is that social media has become imperative to all types of business and has become a new, if not the predominant, medium in some markers for engaging and reaching customers. In the finance game it’s all about numbers and ROI – so why would you consider adding social media to your marketing repertoire? Besides...

I first met Henry Mason after he had (for all the wrong reasons) a very tough act to follow. It was late in the day, the crowd was low energy and beer was sitting in eyeshot, yet he managed to captivate a feisty audience with a rousing speech about the future of media and consumer trends. As Global Head of Research and Managing Partner of Trendwatching.com (a leading global trend firm) you’d expect a certain ability but Henry went beyond knowing things -- he’s genuinely passionate about this stuff. Surprising considering he started his career at the (some could say)...

For those of us who grew up in the 80s and 90s, it's sometimes difficult to look back at the gadgets that were hailed as so cutting edge when we were children without thinking, “Holy crap did I really carry that around in my pocket?” Our smartphones, our consoles, our televisions, everything we use today is so much sleeker, slimmer, smarter, that it's difficult to believe that once upon a time, we used to get by without them. And so here is a list. Of awesome, clunky, old-fashioned gadgets that I loved. Once upon a time. Read more on Gearburn. var vglnk={key:"cc324b6567a9637aa0ff15bc9564b2a5"};!function(e,a){var...

After merging into one company last year, Youku Tudou further established itself as China’s top online video business with its two sites. Combining user-generated videos and licensed movies and TV shows, Youku and Tudou collectively spent over US$100-million last year on securing the rights to an array of Chinese and overseas streaming content. It’s a significant investment (with studios like Sony Pictures and Warner Bros) in capturing the attention of China’s web users – and it’s a treasure they need to protect from web pirates. In this battle against piracy, Youku Tudou is up against illegal downloading sites that rip...

If you've been following the news lately, you've probably heard about the bank heist where more than US$45-million got sucked out of ATMs around the world last week. If not, then you've at least been exposed to an internet scam or know someone who has. It's not just financial big shots or your granny who are vulnerable to scams and attacks though. Your business-- small or big, is a potential target. Now, the media is buzzing about cyber-security since the US$45-million hacker heist. Rightfully so as Symantec (the online security company that's responsible for Norton anti-virus) brought us a...

Yes, you read that right. You finally have a simple way to receive your inheritance from the long-lost relative who somehow obtained your email address prior to dying with lots of cash. Kinda. Google has expanded the functionality of its mobile payment service, Google Wallet, to allow users to send and receive money over Gmail. Of course, there are a few catches: the service is currently only rolling out to users over the age of 18 in the United States, and you need to have a Google Wallet account to send and receive money. But it will allow those...

Microsoft has responded to a cease and desist letter from Google asking it to remove its recently released YouTube app from its app store. In the letter, Google claims that the app allows people to download videos and strips out all the advertising. While that might sound like some people's ideal version of the video-sharing service, it does mean that Google is losing out on revenue that is rightly its. In its response, Microsoft says that it will gladly show ads on the videos but only if Google allows it to. "We’d be more than happy to include advertising...