At Home

Toyota SA recently launched the world’s first outdoor Web site, designed and built by digital agency Hellocomputer and staging firm Thingking. The Web site was built to launch Toyota’s new Rav4 model and allowed members of the public to navigate a real-life Web site, using a mountain bike as the cursor. – ITWeb

A honey badger that lives in the Johannesburg Zoo has become an overnight sensation by becoming the first animal in the world to be an active Twitter user, through the use of its hi-tech enclosure. Senior art director at the Joburg Zoo, Moira-Gene Sephton, said: “The beauty and cleverness of this project is that it makes running social media totally manageable on a very small budget.” – ITWeb

The City of Johannesburg is using ICT to improve its global competitiveness as SA’s economic hub, said councillor Ruby Mathang, Johannesburg’s MMC for economic development, in an interview with ITWeb. According to Mathang, the city is closer to becoming a smart city following the implementation of intervention strategies like smart metering, an integrated intelligence centre, as well as the Johannesburg Broadband Network Project. – ITWeb

Thandi Modise, North West province

North-West premier Thandi Modise has called for the implementation of new ICT strategies to address a number of issues faced by the local government, as well as improve the quality of life for citizens in the province. “ICTs need to be fully explored and exploited for the benefit of citizens and communities as they provide an ideal catalyst to create an enabling environment for sustainable development,” said Modise. – ITWeb

The companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) has withdrawn its annual return system for a month due to technical problems. System upgrades and maintenance that have been implemented by the commission over some time appear to be the cause of the current problem with the annual return system, says spokesperson Sizwile Makhubu. – ITWeb

Tsogo Sun Hotels has introduced a free WiFi service at all of its various establishments across the country. The JSE-listed hotel group installed high-speed connectivity WiFi in all its hotels, with the data limit varying per room per day, depending on which grade of hotel the guest is staying in. – ITWeb

The State IT Agency (SITA) has made strides in connecting the 96 Thusong Service Centres that were contracted to it, with 91 centres already operational. SITA spokesperson Jeanny Morulane says all 96 sites have already been linked up, but due to technical reasons, five are not yet operational. – ITWeb

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Dina Pule" rel=tag>Dina Pule, Department of Communications" />The South African Post Office (SAPO) has officially become a player in the information security game after launching its Trust Centre. “I hear people say that SAPO is struggling because mail volumes are dwindling, but now you can see that SAPO has taken up technology and continues to adapt,” said communications minister Dina Pule at the launch. – ITWeb

Huawei released its eLTE solution in SA during the Africa Transport and Infrastructure Show recently. According to the company, the eLTE solution, which features ubiquitous mobile network access and broadband data transmission capabilities, is useful to multiple industries, including transport, oil and gas, mining, energy, large enterprises, and power and electricity. – ITWeb

A 2012 World Wide Worx report found that the growth of e-commerce is accelerating, with the Internet economy set to contribute 25% more to the local economy in 2016 than it did in 2011. E-commerce is gaining traction locally, with South Africans becoming more accustomed to buying online, the report notes. – ITWeb

Into Africa

Zimbabwean telecommunications company, Econet, has re-branded its subsidiary TN Bank to Steward Bank, and expressed a plan to leverage technology in the bank’s operations. The bank’s CEO, Kwanele Ngwenya, has said the bank plans to invest in technological advancements and capitalise on the technology and systems that its parent company has. – ITWeb Africa

MTN Uganda’s mobile Internet users grew by 85% during the past year to the end of June 2013, according to the operator’s senior officials. Ernst Fonternel, CMO at MTN Uganda, has said the telco now has 1.6 million mobile Internet subscribers. “Last year, we launched our 21.6Mbps data network and last month we rolled out our 42Mbps data network, and now LTE,” he explained. – ITWeb Africa

Wholesale fibre-optic supplier, Liquid Telecom, has appointed Ekinops to carry out its dense wavelength division multiplexing network across SA, Zimbabwe and Zambia. The expansion of Liquid Telecom’s African network is expected to “help bring the Internet to areas starving for reliable, high-speed access”, said officials. Ekinops is a French fibre communications equipment supplier. – ITWeb Africa

Zambia Railways plans to spend $1.2 million towards the purchasing of new telecommunications equipment to improve communication and safety on its main line. The company has recently been embroiled in a financial scandal that saw the dissolution of the board and the suspension of the MD, who has since retired. – ITWeb Africa

MTN Uganda plans to increase its mobile money rates effective immediately. According to the telco, its decision to increase tariffs follows changes to the 2013/2014 national budget with regard to tax on money transfer services. MTN Uganda’s GM for corporate services Anthony Katamba said: “The new 10% levy is to be applied on all money transfer services offered in Uganda, including those offered by non-telecom operators.” – ITWeb Africa

Abroad

YAHOO acquired e-mail and address book management app Xobni, the Internet company’s third acquisition in as many days, as it seeks to revamp its online products and boost its Web traffic. The deal is the latest in a string of acquisitions by Yahoo since Marissa Mayer became chief executive a year ago. Yahoo did not disclose the financial terms of the deal. – Reuters

Don Mattrick, Zynga

Asian chipmakers are set to cash in on a major realignment in the volatile industry which is tilting the power balance their way at the expense of gadget makers such as Apple, after years of cautious investment kept supply in check. Manufacturers including Toshiba and SK Hynix are poised to reap the rewards of soaring demand for cut-price tablets and smartphones in China. – Reuters

Don Mattrick, head of Microsoft’s Xbox business, who replaces Zynga founder Mark Pincus as CEO, will get a hefty, largely stock-based compensation package of about $50 million in coming years, the company said in a regulatory filing. Mattrick will receive a make-whole grant of $25 million, or about 9 million restricted stock units that will vest over the next three years. – Reuters