MWEB recently made an unexpected – but very welcome – move towards cheaper internet access for South Africans, when they pulled the wrappers off their new uncapped ADSL offering.

Although broadband prices have dropped in the past, two things make it a little different this time: firstly, this is the first time an ISP has offered significantly reduced prices on uncapped ADSL, and secondly, MWEB is arguably the best-known ISP to the average South African – which could mean that we’re about to witness a shift in the way ordinary, non-technical people use the web. Or put differently: it’s only a matter of time before your gran starts downloading torrents.

MWEB’s new data-only packages are as follows:

384Kbps shaped – R219
512Kbps shaped – R299
4Mbps shaped – R539
384Kbps unshaped – R499
512Kbps unshaped – R699
4Mbps unshaped – R1,999

The company is also offering six all-inclusive packages, where the ADSL line rental cost is included in the price:

384Kbps shaped – R349
512Kbps shaped – R599
4Mbps shaped – R899
384Kbps unshaped – R629
512Kbps unshaped – R999
4Mbps unshaped – R2,359

Over the past week, a few other ISPs have scrambled to follow suit, having apparently been caught somewhat off-guard by MWEB’s announcement. None of the new packages produced so far differ significantly from MWEB’s pricing, though.

Owners of the older, “fatty” PS3 model who install the latest v3.21 firmware over PSN will no longer be able to house Linux or other operating systems on their console. The firmware, which will be sent out from 1 April, will overwrite foreign OS’s for “security reasons” that Sony has yet to explain. As far as we can tell, there is no April Fool’s trickery at play.

PS3 owners who choose not to install the new firmware will be unable to access the Playstation Network.

[Kotaku]

The Guardian published an amazing confession by writer Tom Bissell recently, in which he describes becoming addicted to Grand Theft Auto IV… and cocaine.

Gaming on drugs is a niche pastime and an illegal one at that. It seems like the last thing we need as gamers is to be compared to hardcore drug users, but perhaps there’s a thing or two we could learn about ourselves in the process. (more…)

Here’s an amazing Facebook stats sheet from website-monitoring.com.

Some notable highlights:

• 400 million active users
• 50% check in EVERY DAY
• Average user spends 55 MINUTES PER DAY
• 35 million update status every day
• 3 billion photos uploaded each month
• 5 billion pieces of content shared every day
• 70% of users are outside the United Sates

The full stats sheet after the jump (more…)

The boss fight at the end of schizophrenia?

Call us uncultured, but we reckon that people aren’t interested in fine art anymore. Well, that’s because fine art doesn’t look like this!

(more…)

Darryn Bonthuys reviews EA’s squad shooter.

Rogue Russian colonels, a doomsday weapon aimed at America and a squad of expendable soldiers caught in between… welcome to Battlefield: Bad Company 2. (more…)

The Cape Town [Startup Digest] is a curated events list created by entrepreneurs that is focused on the needs of startups in the greater Cape Town area. They do the work in finding out about the best events each week so you don’t have to.

South Africa Beyond 2010

When: 30 March 2010, 14h00 – 17h00
Where: The Cape Town Hotel School, Mouille Point
More Info: Contact Faghmieda King: Faghmieda.King@enablis.org

Structuring your business for the next 10 years: Enablis panel discussion with Philip Dexter. Come and join a panel discussion with members of the Young Presidents Organization. Entry fee for non-members of Enablis is R50.

19th Cape Town Geek Dinner
When: 30 March 2010, 18h30 – late
Where: Royal Cape Yacht Club
More Info: http://wiki.geekdinner.org.za/wiki/Cape_Town_March_2010

A dinner meetup of the cities geeks and tech enthusiasts. Anyone can attend a GeekDinner, and attendance itself is free. You only pay for your own food and drinks. If this month’s geek dinner is fully booked add your name to the mailing list and book early when the next dinner is announced.

Silicon Cape Networking Event
When: 31 March 2010, 18h00 – 23h00
Where: The Old Biscuit Mill
More Info: http://www.siliconcape.com/events/the-next-silicon-cape

You are called upon to attend the second Silicon Cape Networking Event. We have an extremely exciting line-up of informative entertainment planned for the evening. To keep things light hearted and hilarious, we have roped in one of South Africa’s Most Amazing entertainers, Rob van Vuuren (from Corne and Twakkie fame), as the MC. Justin Stanford will give us a short and sweet update on what’s been happening in the Silicon Cape; One of SA’s leading investors will offer some concise insights into what investors are looking for; and then we open the floor up to YOU, the entrepreneurs. 6 – 8 entrepreneurs will be given the opportunity to shake some stealth by pitching their business ideas to the audience. The audience will vote for their favourite and a small prize will be handed over along with everlasting fame.

Digital Cowboys
When: 31 March 2010, 16h00 – 19h00
Where: Cafe Chic
More Info: http://digitalcowboys.wordpress.com/2010/03/02/next-event-31-march-2010/

Get together in the digital advertising & marketing industry. Everyone is welcome.

Business 2020 Conference: Business, Innovation, Mobile Trends
When: 31 March 2010, 0900 – 12h10
Where: V&A Granger Bay Restaurant
More Info: http://huddlemind.net/events/business-2020-conference-half

This is a business conference business leaders, entrepreneurs and upcoming business men and women. Breakfast will be served at the Granger Bay hotel. We’ll be hosting Marlon Parker and Dave Duarte. Marlon Parker is a Social Entrepreneur, Web and mobile enthusiast, who uses technology to empower communities( See http://marlonparker.co.za/?page_id=2). Dave Duarte is an internet and mobile media educator and entrepreneur. He holds several senior positions in the academic, commercial, and non-profit sectors. He is Managing Director at Huddlemind. The company consults to numerous multinational corporations. (See http://daveduarte.co.za/about).Ticket price: R250.

Cape Town [Startup Digest] is curated by:
Sheraan Amod, Co-Founder & CEO, Personera

Sign up for the Cape Town [Startup Digest]: http://www.thestartupdigest.com

No, we won’t be seeing another video game turned into a terrible movie. Rather, what’s caught our attention is the cinematic nous that went into the latest trailer for Ubisoft’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier. Much has been made of the invisible/Harry Potter cloaks which will feature in the game, but maybe we should be focusing on the incredible cutscenes that we can expect, going on the strength of this video.

Tactical shooters, as a genre, are rife with clichés. This one seems to avoid many of them, only to rely on the most overused plot device of all time: America and Russia are at war. Never mind, enjoy the show: