Author: Tapiwa Matthew Mutisi

Micro-blogging platform Twitter reportedly tried to acquire the invite-only audio chat app Clubhouse for nearly $4 billion but the talks failed, according to a report from Bloomberg. TechCrunch has also “confirmed the discussions took place from a source familiar with the conversations,” the talks occurred over the past several months but…

Facebook’s F8 developer conference is returning this year as a one-day virtual event on June 2nd. Like so many big gatherings, last year’s F8 was canceled over concerns regarding coronavirus. But the world’s largest social network evidently wants to keep its sizable community of developers engaged and is bringing the conference…

Microsoft’s annual Build conference will be virtual again this year, so Microsoft has also updated its events website to reveal the dates running from May 25 to May 27, along with many of Microsoft’s 2021 events. According to Microsoft, Build is “where developers, architects, start-ups, and students learn, connect, and code…

Apple recently announced that its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) with the tagline “Glow and Behold” will take place on June 7th through June 11th this year, and that like last year it will be a completely virtual event, marking the second year in a row that Apple will hold a…

Google’s I/O developer event is returning this year after being canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and like many other tech events that have taken place during the pandemic, it will be entirely virtual. The event will take place from May 18th–20th and will be free to attend, according to 9to5Google, which…

One of the main reasons that Android or iOS users are locked into their platform is WhatsApp. More specifically, the inability to migrate their chat history from one platform to the other. At least, not without risks or violating the app’s Terms of Service. Though now, the company may be…

One of South Africa’s oldest crypto exchange, Ice3x, which operated since 2013 after briefly suspending trading on its platform sometime back last month after noting discrepancies in balances of bitcoin and litecoin held on the platform has announced that it is liquidating the business. ICE3x was one of South Africa’s…

Takealot now has a new competitor Everyshop; a new eCommerce platform has officially been launched in South Africa and offers consumers online access to a range of local and international brands. Established by the JD Group, a South African retail company that is part of Pepkor Holdings Limited, EveryShop aims to be…

Due to a software vulnerability, a database containing the personal information of 533 million Facebook users is now circulating on the open internet. So why isn’t Facebook notifying who’s been affected? Well, the company hasn’t given a straight answer on the matter, except to emphasize the leaked data comes from…

Rectron (PTY) Ltd, one of South Africa’s leading distributors of IT products, continues to strengthen its enterprise offering with the addition of Newland ID, a manufacturer of barcode scanners, to its portfolio. In the agreement, Rectron will be distributing the full Newland ID range, comprising (wireless) handheld scanners, stationary scanners,…

As healthcare organizations scrambled to cope with huge surges in patient numbers in the wake of the pandemic, the past year has seen a major step-change in the adoption of technology and digital services. But on World Health Day, any progress they have made in their digital transformation risks being washed away…

Heavy Reading is the research division of Light Reading offering deep analysis of emerging telecom trends to network operators, and this recent survey it undertook reveals 5G operators’ priorities as they move to mitigate new threats. Telcos will implement a wide array of measures in 2021 to secure the next wave of 5G connectivity, according to…

Encrypted messaging app Signal is testing a new feature that’ll let you privately send money to your friends—without going through major financial networks. To pull this off, the app is adding the ability to pay in a cryptocurrency known as MobileCoin, and this new payment feature arrives first for users…

US venture capital (VC) fund Enygma Ventures an investment fund for female entrepreneurs and women founders, focused on Southern Africa or SADC has reportedly funded 10 businesses across the SADC region and invested nearly $4-million in selected startups and SMEs. With this in mind, the VC firm is committed to supporting female-founded…

Self-funded Johannesburg-based tech startup It’sOk has created a cutting-edge emotional intelligence app that is designed specifically for a school environment. The tech startup has combined the power of technology with a holistic approach to promoting emotional awareness and intelligence among young students in South Africa.  Cody Gordon, co-founder, and CEO of It’sOk…

As the world transitions to recovering from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Vodacom is celebrating what the human spirit can achieve when combined with technology. With the announcement of a new brand tagline, ‘Further Together’ it places the emphasis on how – through partnerships and collaboration – it is…

The concept of NFTs, or Non-Fungible Tokens, has arrived in South Africa, with numerous artworks available for purchase or auction via these digital certificates that are immune to forgery. NFTs have seen a global surge in recent weeks, with singer Grimes selling $6-million worth of digital art as NFTs; rock…

Say “goodbye” to one of the internet’s favorite dinosaurs. The end of a long and storied internet era (of bad questions and even worse answers). Yahoo announced that Yahoo Answers, one of the longest-running and most storied web Q&A platforms in the history of the internet, is shutting down on…

Google parent Alphabet is reportedly planning in the coming weeks to stop using Oracle financial software and instead start using software from SAP. Google made the announcement in an email to employees, also confirmed by CNBC. The move doesn’t appear to be related to Google’s Supreme Court win over Oracle earlier Monday. Nonetheless, there is no…

Lagos-based Pricepally, an innovative eCommerce platform, and digital food cooperative which enables consumers to buy food and wholesale products directly from producers, as well as sharing bulk purchases with other users for additional savings, has secured an undisclosed six-figure amount of funding in a pre-seed investment round led by VC…