In February, we reported that a $10 million X Prize was fueling a race to make the Tricorder, a fictional medical device featured on Star Trek,  a reality. The Tricorder is a handheld device used for sensor scanning  and data analysis to diagnose various ailments.

One of the contenders for this prize is the Scout, developed by Belgian digital entrepreneur Walter De Brouwer, the CEO of Scanadu. Scanadu, based at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California,  makes medical technology devices for consumers.

However, the Scout was not originally intended for consumers but rather to provide a way for astronauts to monitor their health on the International Space Station and is built on Micrium, the same real-time operation system for SAM (Sample Analysis at Mars) on the Mars Curiosity rover.

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We were recently invited to the Sony Conference at the V&A Waterfront. After enjoying a healthy lunch, we were divided into colour-coded groups and taken to different areas displaying different consumer technologies. Everything from waterproof MP3 players, DJ systems and super TV’s were displayed this year.

Sony works hard at being the trendsetter in various fields of technology and I certainly enjoyed some of the  innovations and features added to the already popular product line. As a filmmaker, I naturally lingered longer at the camera section and look forward to getting my hands on a few new Sony cameras for review.

You’ll possibly notice the excitement expressed through my camera work in the video below.

Check it out!

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According to The Verge there appears to be some unrest in the HTC camp.

The company’s vice president of global communications, Jason Gordon has recently called it quits, revealing the news on Twitter. Gordon is accompanied by chief product officer Kouji Kodera, who reportedly resigned last week.

Other staff to depart include global retail marketing manager Rebecca Rowland, director of digital marketing John Starkweather, and product strategy manager Eric Lin.

Employees have reportedly moved on to companies Microsoft and AT&T.

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In less than 3 weeks, the country’s top media and marketing minds will be making a big impact at this year’s highly-anticipated Integrated Marketing Communication Conference taking place on the 10th & 11th of June at the Cape Town International Convention Centre.

With all topics finalized, delegates will now have a small taste of what to expect at this marketing conference.

Keynote Speakers and topics include:

• Abey Mokgwatsane (Ogilvy & Mather South Africa) – “Data and Creative at War: how technology and the changing market landscape have created a new battlefield.”
• Sizakele Marutlulle (ABSA Group) – “Expect the unexpected: Building a brand amongst brand builders” (more…)

First National Bank’s (FNB) CEO Michael Jordaan has announced his resignation on Twitter.

Jordaan’s tweet reads:

After 10 years at the helm of FNB I will step down at the end of 2013. Thanks for all your support.

— Michael Jordaan (@MichaelJordaan) May 22, 2013

Over the last few years, Jordaan has been at the helm of FNB’s digital marketing strategy that uses technology to differentiate it from other SA banks to make a smarter, easier and more efficient banking experience for customers.

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Square, the developers of Square Register, a  free point of sale app has introduced the Square Stand that lets business owners easily take payments directly from an iPad 2 or 3 (30-pin connector). Once the iPad and Square Stand are connected, its overall sleek and minimal appearance looks nothing like the typical cash registers that we have come to know.

The Square Stand tilts for different viewing angles and can rotate 180 degrees so customers can easily sign for purchase. The integrated credit card swiper keeps credit card information secure after swiping.

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Microsoft finally announced the new XBOX One yesterday (21^st of May) in Redmond, Washington. There was a lot of hype surrounding the announcement as Microsoft promised to show the actual console in action (*cough*cough* Sony…). There were many online sites covering the event live and I decided to hop on to GameSpot.com to see the reveal for myself.

The previous XBOX 360 made its debut 8 years ago, which is a long time in the world of technology. The new XBOX One will most probably be around for the next decade, so for buyers the ONE (or PS4 – which ever you support) will be their longest-term consumer electronics “investment”. Thus this reveal will kind of set the tone for the next few years in console gaming. Therefore Microsoft had to pull out all the stops, and that they did! The reveal took on a Samsung Galaxy type of vibe, with feature after feature being thrown at the crowd. Will the new XBOX be the ONE? (more…)

Yesterday, photos of the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active, obtained by GSMArena leaked online.

In addition to the Galaxy S4 Active, reports have revealed that Samsung is planning a new 8-inch Galaxy tablet and a 4.3-inch version of the Galaxy S4.

A variant of the Galaxy S4, the Android powered S4 Active comes with a similar look and feel to the flagship, although adopting a metallic shell and bolts, rather than hard plastic, and is also dust and waterproof perhaps putting it up against the impressive Sony Xperia Z.

According to various reports, the device boasts a quad-core ARM processor at 1.9GHz, a 1920 x 1080 screen resolution and a rear facing 8MP camera.

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