A rogue computer reseller who sold pirated software to unwitting consumers in Port Elizabeth and Johannesburg has been handed a suspended prison sentence and ordered to pay compensation to his victims.

Computer shop manager Vikesh Singh, who traded as PE Technologies in Port Elizabeth and later as Vision Technologies in Johannesburg, was found guilty in the Specialised Commercial Crime Court in Port Elizabeth on June 15 of fraud and multiple contraventions of the Counterfeit Goods and Copyright Acts for selling counterfeit and unlicensed copies of Microsoft software.

Singh also pleaded guilty for contravening the Companies and the Close Corporations Acts by acting as a manager while disqualified, as he had previously been convicted of theft.

He was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment, suspended for five years, provided he doesn’t contravene the Counterfeit Goods Act or the Copyright Act. He was also sentenced to a fine of R80 000, or four years’ imprisonment conditionally suspended for five years, for contravening the Companies Act and the Close Corporations Act.  Singh was also ordered to compensate four customers, who had been sold counterfeit Microsoft software and acted as witnesses in the criminal case, three times the value of their purchases, and ordered by the court to pay compensation to Microsoft of R150 000. (more…)

We all know and use Google, probably every day (well, the readers of this blog anyway). Sure its search product is the defacto standard, but over time we have started integrating more and more of their service in our online lives. Think about it – Google Talk, Buzz, Gmail. Some of their “projects” are more successful than others – for example, Gmail is extremely popular, whereas services like Google Lattitude seems downright creepy to me. They have also had some failures – Google Wave being one of them, despite being a very cool idea. Buzz is in danger of also falling into irrelevance.

But now Google is gunning for the other big place where you have an online presence – Facebook. Dont think they have not tried before – they still have Orkut, which is popular in certain countries. But this time they are baking the social features right into its core business of search, and also improving and integrating more of its existing services. It is called the Google+ project, and the initial videos seem to be very impressive out of a social viewpoint.

Some of the key features of Google+ include:

Google Circles:

This the one place where they can differentiate themselves – Google+ allow you to create groups of friends, called Circles. Its pretty easy to do with a drag and drop interface. You simply create the circles you want – for example, “Epic Bros” (seriously Google?), Family, Work Friends etc. Using these groups you only share what you want with whom you want. While Facebook does have some elements of this, they do not allow the same simple way of setting it up. Seriously – how many of use Facebook Groups? Who wants to take a bet Facebook shows off its new “Spheres” feature in the next few weeks? (more…)

Mashable put together this great little infographic to show how much data is created as a result of social media. A recent study puts that figure at around 1.8 zettabytes (A zettabyte is equal to 1 billion terabytes) – so next time you look at how many Facebook photos you have to see, think about about how many storage all those photos take up. As we mentioned before, we are all obsessed with Facebook…

We have spoken in the past about RICA, and well, the time has come. You really should have RICA’d by now. The process is pretty easy – just take your SIM Card (regardless if its a cellphone number or a 3G card), proof of address and ID with you to your preferred cellular provider. You dont have to go your own network, in fact many retailers are also taking part in the initiative. The whole process takes about 5 minutes at most, and it will prevent you from getting your number cut off on the 1st of July. Just a friendly reminder from us…

Find attached the statement from the Department of Communications.

The Department of Communications appeals to all South African citizens to register their SIM cards whether they are cellular, data or other SIM cards used for mobile devices.

The Regulation of Interception of Communications Act (RICA) provides for the lawful interception of communications, such as voice and data conversations between persons including phone calls, emails and postal services. This Act is in the interest of the individual’s right to privacy and can only be done after authorisation by a judge who is specially designated to carry out this role or function. RICA is applicable to both prepaid and contract subscribers and it is obligatory for all cell phone and other data users to comply.

The Department of Communications calls for all SIM card users to go to their mobile service providers with their proof of residence and Identity Documents (IDs) before or on 30 June 2011 for registration.

“Failure to comply with the deadline will result in SIMs being locked. Those who have not registered will not be able to make or receive calls and will not be able to send SMSes or use data,” states the Deputy Minister of Communications, Mr Obed Bapela.

Issued by: Department of Communications
13 Jun 2011

Group buying in South Africa is reaching a mature level in record time. There are now many group buying websites, all offering a good marketing and customer acquisition service. A good number of them will drop out of the running later in 2011, and the remaining players will form a properly structured industry.

Customers are getting much more savvy as to how group buying works, and are enjoying the experience, if not for a bit of “deal fatigue” when receiving too many offers from certain or many websites.

However, what about businesses – are they reaping the promotional benefits from the group buying campaigns they offer? Are they happy with the group buying experience from a long-term financial point of view, as well as being a client?

Indeed, there are some group buying websites in South Africa and abroad that do not offer optimal service or results, and some that deal superbly with businesses whatever the result. The wrong ones can be avoided by making the following checks when approaching or being called by a group buying company.

Here are some things to look out for: (more…)

8.ta, South Africa’s fourth and newest mobile network operator, is going to market with a big, fast and low cost mobile broadband promotion that will get South Africans using the Internet more. With the lowest mobile broadband rates supported by its new network; 8.ta is living up to its promise to change the mobile communications market.

The new post-paid Internet 5 Promotion offers subscribers a 10GB data bundle at R199 per month with the option of an additional 10GB Midnight Surfer data bundle at R100 per month for use between 12am and 5am. Subscribers in essence, will be getting 20GB’s of data at R299 and will therefore be paying as little as 1.5 cents per MB – the lowest mobile broadband rate available in South Africa, says Amith Maharaj, Managing Executive of Telkom Mobile.

“To mark the launch of our new high speed network 8.ta is “Going Big” with an amazing promotional data offer for a limited time period. Mobile broadband users will agree that the value provided in this offer cannot easily be found anywhere in the world”, Maharaj said.

Maharaj further added that “while the sale of the offer will be for a limited time, it is important to note that customers who sign up will be eligible for the Internet 5 promotional price as well as the Midnight Surfer price for the full 24 months”.

The offer will be available from Sunday, 26 June at 8.ta flagship stores, selected Telkom Direct stores, via the Call Center on 081125, online at www.8ta.com and Nashua Mobile.

With 8.ta’s new data promotion, high monthly subscription is removed as the barrier to entry for first time subscribers while seasoned mobile broadband subscribers will find the price per MB to be extremely attractive. (more…)

OK, this infographic is huge, but great for anyone who sees himself in either camp of the Microsoft vs Apple war (if there even still is a war). Made by Manolution, it tracks the timeline of the two companies, with major announcements and the change in shareprice between events. It is pretty scary to see how Microsoft’s shareprice has completely flatlined in the last ten years, despite stellar products like Windows 7 being launched. Apple on the other hand had a very shaky start, but the shareprice skyrocketed in the last few years… But enough with my interpretation, check it out for yourself. Like I said its big, so I had throw it on its own page: (more…)

At some point or another, most have us have owned a Nokia phone, and loved it. Those Finnish guys really know how to put together phones, but these days they are having a hard time because of poor software decisions. Their insistance to stick to Symbian all this time has been detrimental to the company’s sales and profits, especially at the high end of the market. But recently they let the world know that they will be adopting Windows Phone 7 as its flagship operating system going forward. Good on them.

But when Nokia announces a new handset, the world still sits up and takes notice. Yesterday Nokia showed off their new N9 handset, which is a stunning slab of hardware design. (more…)