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Deepfakes are getting cheaper, easier and way more convincing
There are many photos of Tom Hanks, but none like the images of the leading everyman shown at the Black Hat computer security conference Wednesday: They were made by machine-learning algorithms, not a camera. Philip Tully, a data scientist at security company FireEye, generated the hoax Hankses to test how easily open-source software from artificial
Premier Alan Winde says South Africa can’t afford to go back into lockdown
The global pandemic known as COVID-19 has had a very negative impact on the economy of South Africa. As such, the president of the country has had no choice but to impose restrictions to help curb the spread of the virus. It is vitally important that South Africa deals with Covid-19 hotspots as they appear
Facebook to announce presidential election result in Facebook and Instagram notifications
Facebook plans to put the name of the winner of the US presidential election at the top of Facebook and Instagram once it’s been projected by a majority of media outlets, the company says. The company also will label presidential candidates’ posts with a link to its voting information center, according to Facebook spokesperson Tom
“We are very tense, very concerned”: Herbert Diess on VW at a critical interval
Telling Bloomberg at VW headquarters in Wolfsburg, Germany, Herbert Diess raised his concerns about how Volkswagen (VW) is currently at a critical interval. It has weathered the pandemic relatively well but is fretting about cases going up again. It has electric cars rolling out but is well behind Tesla. During an almost hour-long virtual event
Wait, more iPhone 12s are coming? Get ready for iPhone 12 Pro Max
The world's largest iPhone goes on sale Friday for pre-order customers, and if you're thinking, wait a minute, didn't the new iPhones go on sale in October, you didn't read the fine print. Two of the four new iPhones, the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro, were indeed released last month. But Apple may have kept
Boeing just sold the superyacht we didn't even know they owned
Boeing (NYSE:BA) has reportedly sold a corporate yacht it once used to entertain corporate customers, a fresh sign of the belt tightening going on at the struggling aerospace giant. The Daedalus, a 130-foot yacht usually moored on Seattle's Lake Union, was sold for $13 million to a California developer, according to a report in the Puget Sound Business
WhatsApp launches new disappearing messages option
WhatsApp is introducing a new disappearing messages option this month. The feature will allow WhatsApp users to enable disappearing messages on chat conversations between friends, to automatically delete messages after seven days. Anyone can enable the option in individual chats, and group admins will be able to enable disappearing messages in group chats. “We’re starting
Starbucks South Africa on a mission to expand its stores by 50% in just 4 weeks
Starbucks in South Africa plans to open eight new stores in the four weeks from mid-November to mid-December, despite Covid-19 economic turmoil, as it expands its footprint. The stores will be opened in Cape Town, Stellenbosch, Johannesburg and Pretoria. The Starbucks licence in South Africa is held by Rand Capital Coffee, which bought it from
Wearable birth control might be on the way thanks to Natural Cycles
Natural Cycles, the first “digital birth control” to get sign-off from the Food and Drug Administration, is back. This time, it’s asking the agency to authorize integration with wearable devices like the Oura Ring. The feature could make it easier for users to use the app properly, but it doesn’t sidestep some of the existing
Check it out: The Pixel 5 automatically turns into a wireless charging pad when you plug in a USB-C cable
The Pixel 5 is one of several flagship phones to offer a reverse wireless charging feature, but Google’s done something particularly clever with its implementation of the feature here: whenever you plug in a USB-C cable, your Pixel 5 will automatically turn on its reverse wireless charging feature, effectively turning it into a Qi charging
Old Mutual CEO refreshes company strategy
When Iain Williamson took over as chief executive officer of Old Mutual Ltd. four months ago, Africa’s largest insurer was being hammered from all sides. The Cape Town-based financial-services firm was contending with the economic fallout of a strict lockdown to contain the spread of the coronavirus, a spike in claims, and tumultuous global capital
Bridgestone shuts down Port Elizabeth branch – 252 workers affected
Bridgestone South Africa (BSAF) has finalised the process to close down its tyre manufacturing plant in Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape. The plant’s last day of operation will be 15 November, and follows a consultation with workers and unions. In August, the company announced its proposal to close the Port Elizabeth facility and initiated a Section
Tiger Brands revises its earnings projections
Tiger Brands on Monday revised its earnings guidance for the year to end September slightly higher following a better-than-anticipated operating income performance in the second half, which was supported by no disruptions to the supply chain in August and September as Covid-19 infections slowed significantly. The South African packaged goods company said it expected earnings
AMC’s revenue drops by more than 90 percent as theaters remain empty
AMC Entertainment didn’t try to hide the immense financial duress the company has faced the last several months and the increasingly uncertain future that lies ahead if AMC can’t find new ways to make cash. The company posted a revenue of $119.5 million in its third quarter, down 91 percent year over year. The same
Teraco constructs Africa’s largest data centre
Teraco says it has begun construction on a new hyperscale data centre with 38MW of critical power load in Ekurhuleni, South Africa. The facility is called JB4 and will be the largest data centre in Africa once it is built. Phase one of the JB4 data centre is scheduled to be completed in Q1 2022
Apple to release Arm-based MacBook Air and Pro laptops at ‘One More Thing’ event
Apple’s upcoming “One More Thing” event, announced this morning and scheduled for November 10th, will be a major break with tradition in more ways than one: it will be the first time the company unveils an Apple laptop featuring its own custom Arm-based CPUs. Apple plans to debut three new laptops next week, one 13-inch
Check out these early Black Friday deals from South African retailers – including Game, Makro and Takealot
A number of local retailers have announced that they will hold early sales ahead of Black Friday, which falls on 27 November. This is primarily in response to the coronavirus pandemic, with retailers opting to offer deals over several weeks instead of risking an influx of shoppers on a single day, or over a weekend.
Capitec includes investment platform EasyEquities to app
South African retail bank, Capitec has brought the EasyEquities investing platform to its banking app to help clients invest in shares not only in South Africa, but the United States of America. The announcement comes right after the news earlier this month that FNB’s new shares buying feature on its app. When using EasyEquities in
Former Apple design chief Jony Ive joins Airbnb
Sir Jony Ive, the former lead designer of Apple’s IMac, iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch, has joined the Airbnb family to create the next generation of the home rental firm’s products and services. Brian Chesky, Airbnb’s chief executive, in a blog post, said the company had signed a multiyear “special collaboration” with Ive’s design company
SABC set to launch its own streaming service in year 2021
The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) is planning to launch its own video on demand streaming service in year 2021. SABC’s plan to implement its own modified entertainment VOD streamer come after the broadcaster said a regulation is needed that would require pay-tv service provider MultiChoice (DStv) and popular streaming service Netflix to collect TV