Author: CraigWilson

Instagram, the Facebook-owned image sharing service, has released a new app for Android and iOS called Boomerang that lets users capture a short burst of images and then stitches them into a short, looping video clip that plays forwards and backwards. So, like, a gif? Yep, except that, you know, Boomerangs play forwards and backwards (and then forwards again, and backwards again, ad infinitum). Boomerang is the fourth app from the Instagram stable, and the second aimed at capturing things on the move. Hyperlapse, the company’s excellent time-lapse-like app, uses your smart device’s accelerometers to compensate for shake and create astoundingly smooth…

Vumatel has announced that the Johannesburg suburbs of Emmarentia, Forest Town, Parktown, Gallo Manor and Melrose are all set to get fibre to the home (FTTH) in coming months. Construction has already begun in Emmarentia, with installation in the other four suburbs set to kick off early next year. The news comes just over a week after the company announced that Investec has acquired a minority stake in it. Although the details of the detail haven’t been revealed, we expect it’ll mean that Vumatel’s expansion ramps up even faster. Vumatel already has active infrastructure in Parkhurst, Parktown North, Greenside, Killarney,…

Google’s YouTube, the biggest content streaming service in the world, is launching its paid-for, ad-free service called YouTube Red in the US next week (28 October) and offering users a month to try it out before committing to the $10/month subscription. Given YouTube’s massive and ever-growing catalogue of content, and the fact it’s the de facto music streaming service for cash-strapped teens, existing music and video streaming services best pay close attention. What will YouTube Red offer that the existing service doesn’t? Ad-free viewing, the ability to store content offline and the ability to switch apps while keeping the service…

As the leaks suggested, the HTC One A9 looks to be a beast of a smartphone. The Chinese hardware manufacturer unveiled the device yesterday, talking up the fact that it ships with Android Marshmallow and taking the opportunity to remind those who might (understandably) have forgotten HTC’s pedigree when it comes to breaking new ground. “HTC is a smartphone pioneer, having delivered the first Android smartphone, the first Windows smartphone, the first 4G smartphone, and the first all-metal smartphone,” says Cher Wang, HTC’s CEO and chairman. Wang pulled no punches when it comes to HTC’s rivals: “Today we’re taking that…

Google Translate is already pretty amazing. Aside from supporting 90 language, the service also lets users take pictures of signs in other languages and get those translated almost instantly. However, one of the challenges for users has been having to copy and paste text into the service’s apps or web version. That’s set to change. The latest version of Google’s mobile operating system Android (version 6.0, called Marshmallow) will now let Android users translate text in apps. Some of the first apps to get on board are TripAdvisor, LinkedIn and the big cheese of mobile instant messaging, WhatsApp. Google announced the…

Given the new iPhone 6s and 6s Plus went on sale in South Africa today and the Apple Watch goes on sale next week, we can’t imagine anyone in the market for an iPad, who doesn’t already have one, isn’t broke. Or, you know, holding out for the iPad Pro. Nonetheless, if you do want an iPad and supersize isn’t your thing, you’ll be delighted to hear the iPad Mini 4 goes on sale in SA this weekend. You’ll pay R7,000 for the entry-level, 16GB, Wi-Fi-only iPad mini 4, and R12,700 for the top-of-the-range, 128GB cellular and Wi-Fi model. In…

The iPhone 6s and 6s Plus went on sale in South Africa today. We managed to fend off the marauding hordes and get our hands on a 6s Plus. To the casual observer, the 6s and 6s Plus are indistinguishable from their predecessors, but the 12-megapixel camera (and ability to shoot 4K video), 3D Touch display, upgraded processor, increased RAM and reinforced shell ensure the new models are at least as desirable as last year’s. Of course, keeping the same form factor does have its benefits. Any cases, Olloclip lenses, windscreen mounts or other accessories you’ve already invested in will work…

South African investment bank Investec has acquired a minority stake in Vumatel, the company that’s been rolling out open-access fibre networks in select South African suburbs. The scale of the deal has not been revealed, but speaks to both the growing interest in fibre — and particularly fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) solutions — in the South African market and to Vumatel’s rapid rise from a minor player in the sector to one that’s encouraging swifter movement into the fibre market by the likes of Telkom, Vodacom and MTN. Vumatel currently operates in seven South African suburbs and began by rolling out fibre…

In May this year, Cell C announced plans to add support for Wi-Fi calling to its network, which lets consumers make or receive calls and send or receive messages using Wi-Fi rather than a cellular connection. Now the operator has announced that AG Mobile’s Style smartphone will be first device on its network to support Wi-Fi calling. AG Mobile is a South African-based company that sells its own branded smartphones. The company says the Style is capable of Wi-Fi calling because of the inclusion of hardware from chipset supplier MediaTek and software from Lydrasoft. “Our decision to partner with reputable companies such as…

Apple’s 27-inch, 5K-display touting iMac has been available in SA for a few months now, and the latest 15-inch MacBook Pro already offers Force Touch (the trackpad’s ability to distinguish between light and heavier presses), but now the 21.5-inch iMacs have had an update to give them Retina displays, and new wireless accessories, including a new standalone trackpad, bring Force Touch to the desktop. In addition to hardware updates, the new 21.5-inch iMac gets a 4K Retina display rather than the 5K version found on its larger sibling, but for a display that size 4K (4096 x 2304 resolution and 9.4 million pixels)…