Global technology brand HONOR is thrilled to announce that the new devices from its Number Series – the HONOR 200 and HONOR 200 Pro – are officially available at selected network and retail providers across the country.

With this range, HONOR has developed powerhouse devices that highlight the new age of smartphones through AI-powered photography, incomparable battery life, and competitive performance.

Portrait Photography that Captures the Essence of Each Moment
The HONOR 200 Pro and HONOR 200 features a Triple 50MP Studio-Level AI Portrait Camera setup, including a 50MP Portrait Main Camera, 50MP Portrait Telephoto Camera and 50MP Portrait Selfie Camera. Together, they work to intelligently analyse every scene and capture each moment as it unfolds, even under challenging lighting conditions.

By working closely with the renowned Parisian Studio Harcourt, HONOR conceptualised and developed the AI Portrait Engine. By analysing thousands of scenarios and millions of datasets, the AI Portrait Engine has been engineered to craft the perfect photograph.

Through careful analysis of Studio Harcourt’s unique use of lighting and shadow to tell a visual story, HONOR utilised these techniques to develop three distinct portrait modes: Harcourt Vibrant, Harcourt Colour, and Harcourt Classic. HONOR 200 users can now explore their creative side by tapping into decades of professional photography to craft unique photographs that express every emotion in that moment.

With AI Shadow and Light Enhancement, every light source in a scene is analysed to ensure the result is evenly lit and incredibly detailed. Factors such as brightness, position, temperature, and intensity are all considered to produce an image that is never overexposed or poorly lit.

With powerful bokeh effects to artistically frame any subject and AI Optical Enhancement for skin and facial features, the HONOR AI Portrait Engine delivers unforgettable and inspiring photographs flawlessly.

Moreover, the AI-Enhanced Night Portrait ensures bright photos in any lighting condition, using the power of an AI algorithm and a large sensor.

Performance To Match One’s Drive For Success
The industry-defining Snapdragon 8s Gen3 AI Chipset powers the HONOR 200 Pro and offers incredible performance across a range of everyday tasks. While the HONOR 200 is equipped with a Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 processor. From streaming media to intense gaming sessions, users will experience flagship performance with a smooth and highly responsive interface.

To further enhance the smartphone experience, the HONOR 200 Series features MagicOS 8.0, an intuitive operating system that harnesses the advanced power of AI to make everyday tasks even easier.

Magic Portal uses AI to understand the context of what’s on the screen and provide shortcut options, from offering directions, sharing photos, to taking notes. Meanwhile, Magic Capsule allows users to set timers, control media playback, and handle incoming calls without leaving an app or losing focus during critical tasks.

The synergy between MagicOS 8.0 and HONOR’s various AI components delivers a user experience that has never been witnessed on a smartphone, further cementing HONOR’s legacy and passion for being an early adopter of transformative technology.

Tackle Any Task with Exceptional All-Day Battery Life
Knowing how vital battery life is to users, the HONOR 200 Series has a superior 5200mAh Silicon-Carbon Battery that offers up to 61 hours of music streaming on a single charge. To further extend battery life, the HONOR 200 Pro uses AI to detect low periods of inactivity and enters a standby mode that saves battery life.

When it comes time to recharge, the HONOR 200 Series can be fully charged in 41 minutes, thanks to a powerful 100W Wired HONOR SuperCharge. A 66W Wireless HONOR SuperCharge also allows users to top up their battery at any time, ready to take on even the most demanding games and apps without running low on battery life.

Putting the User First with Human-Centric Features
Featuring a 0 Risk AI Eye Comfort Display and 3840Hz Risk-free PWM Dimming technology, which eliminates flickering and reduces eye fatigue, the HONOR 200 Series uses advanced methods to reduce screen flickering and eye strain for users.

To protect the user’s sleep, the device features HONOR’s AI Circadian Night Display, which intelligently adjusts the screen’s colour temperature to match the time of day. Adaptive Dimming also intelligently adjusts screen brightness in all lighting conditions, ensuring the most comfortable viewing experience.

Pricing and Availability

The HONOR 200 Pro 5G is available in two colorways: Ocean Cyan and Black and will retail for the recommended retail price of R19,999, while the HONOR 200 5G will come in Moonlight White and Black and will be available for the exciting price of R15,999.

The purchase of the HONOR 200 5G and HONOR 200 Pro 5G will include free gifts to the value of R6 999, including an HONOR SuperCharge plus the cable, a screen protector, free postal repair with pickup and delivery service, a 3-year battery health protection warranty, and a 180-day screen accident warranty, which excludes labour fees.

Zandile Mkwanazi may have established her non-profit, GirlCode, somewhat by chance, but it was her innate drive to see more women in software development positions that helped the initiative to flourish.

With Mkwanazi and her team of equally passionate tech-forward women at the helm, GirlCode, an NGO that hosts hackathons has grown from a humble all-girls hackathon in 2014 with only 20 women in attendance, to empowering over 80,000 girls with skills in coding, programming and digital literacy a decade later.

“It’s important that we never lose the core essence of GirlCode, which is not just to train young girls to code but to create real economic opportunities and change lives,” says Mkwanazi. As a parent to both a daughter and a son, the non-profit CEO says it’s a constant struggle unlearning the unwritten rules created by culture and society throughout history, that prevents girl children from accessing the same opportunities as boys.

Diversity and female representation in the technology sector are priorities at present, areas in which the South African ICT industry is sorely lacking. According to Women in Tech ZA, out of 236,000 ICT (tech) roles that were available in 2023, women occupy only 56,000 of them.

Mkwanazi mentions the lack of career guidance when it comes to encouraging more girls to pursue ICT related fields. She loved maths in school and excelled at it but had no idea what she wanted to study or do. A guidance counsellor encouraged her down the path of Actuarial Science, and through a twist of fate, Mkwanazi ‘fell’ into her calling in software development.

“There was an internship available for Computer Science students. Although I wasn’t studying the subject, they were offering a stipend, and as young people, when there’s a chance to make a bit of extra cash,” she laughs, “we’re going to make that cash I wanted that stipend.” Impressing the interviewers, she was accepted for the internship and went on to develop software for a government database to streamline the data collection process for mortuary records in South Africa.

A different calibre of candidates

In her first job working as a Business Analyst, Mkwanazi looked around and realised, while she loved her co-workers and the work environment, there were not many female developers at that time. “I asked the MD in a kind of joking way one day, ‘Why are you not employing women? What do you have against women?’,” she says. “He said it wasn’t that he’s not trying to hire women, he just wasn’t receiving CVs from that many women and the ones he did receive weren’t of a high calibre.”

This made sense to her, Mkwanazi recalls, as girls, especially black girls, had different expectations imposed on them since birth. “In varsity, you learn the theory element and you’re expected to go home and practice. But when a girl gets home, she needs to cook, clean and help in the household. A boy in the same class gets home, goes straight to his room, opens his laptop and starts practising his coding. It just produces a different calibre of candidates.”

With the goal of recruiting more skilled interns into the company, Mkwanazi was given the green light to host a hackathon for young graduates, sparking the start of the GirlCode programme.

GirlCode’s success

South Africa’s leading fibre network operator, Vuma, came on board as a partner in 2019, backing GirlCode Career Days to encourage more young girls at the primary school level to take an interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) skills. Through the career days, girls get a sense of the different tech careers available to them and are inspired to pursue them.

This partnership emphasises the importance of collaboration for driving social impact. Vuma is well-positioned to provide infrastructural support to the initiative, through its Vuma Fibre to Schools programme. The initiative, which has connected over 780 registered schools in the regions where it operates to free 1Gbps fibre broadband internet, will see some of its connected schools hosting these career days starting from August 2024. Previously, they launched career days in three Vuma-connected schools in the Soweto and Eldorado Park communities.

The goal is to equip young learners with in-demand digital skills, promoting inclusivity in the tech sector.

According to Taylor Kwong, Head of Marketing at Vuma, the demand for tech skills is rapidly increasing across various industries making coding education crucial for preparing girls for future job markets, enhancing their employability, and bridging the gender gap in the tech industry.

“We can’t hope to have more women in tech roles without setting the right foundations and giving girls the information they need to make the right decisions that will lead them down the tech path,” she says.

“We must applaud and support Zandile and women like her who are doing the most to change the narrative of what girls can do and create real, meaningful opportunities that promote equality for women in our country, both in the sector and those aspiring to join it.”

In addition to annual GirlCode Hackathons and career days, the GirlCoder Club teaches coding to girls from Grade 2 up to Grade 11 in schools across the country. To assist young women who may not have the necessary skills needed in finding lucrative job opportunities, GirlCode has also pioneered a 12-month skills development programme for unemployed women, which includes job placements by the end of the programme.

Mkwanazi aims to expand her vision of social upliftment in the tech industry through social entrepreneurship and self-funding the GirlCode Hackathons and the GirlCoder Club.

For more information on GirlCode, visit www.girlcode.co.za.

At Securex South Africa 2024, experts across various fields related to safety converged to leverage their various capabilities to unlock new efficiencies and insights driven by integrated data and technology applications.

For Webfleet, as an established fleet management solution provider, this year’s event offered an opportunity to not only expand the specialised use of smart vehicle management systems beyond transportation efficiencies but to also potentially save lives.

Telematics are well-established as having the ability to enhance route optimisation, improve road safety, save on fuel and maintenance costs through the use of AI dash cams, on-board devices and advanced driver behaviour monitoring systems. Now, by integrating Webfleet solutions into third party systems, users can yield even more benefits that extend beyond mobility. These benefits include flexibility, data transparency, and cost optimisation for third party providers.

A recent example of this is the continued integration of telematics solutions into residential security alarm monitoring platforms, like the Webfleet system. This allows homeowners to receive real-time updates and alerts from their security system on their devices, ensuring that they are always aware of any issues. Security alerts are sent directly to homeowners’ mobile devices, improving the speed and reliability of notifications. The system can also trigger automated responses, such as alerting the security company or activating cameras when an alarm is triggered.

By integrating the fleet management system into these platforms, much of the subjective human decision-making is taken out of the security asset deployment process, drastically bringing response time down.

Security companies typically have set standard operating procedures that they follow in the event of an alarm being triggered at a business or home.

Firstly, a control room operator must establish whether there is a real incident. A call is made to the property owner and if the correct password is given to indicate an accidental alarm, the call is cancelled.

If the password is wrong, or the owner does not answer the call, the operator must then dispatch a security vehicle. To do this, they will typically open a live map on their monitoring system that shows all active vehicles in the security fleet.

The operator then visually locates the closest vehicles to the alarm location and calls each one to see which can respond the fastest. The available vehicle is given the address, and only then, does the driver begin travelling to the scene. Even with the fastest, most diligent operator and responsive driver, this entire process could take valuable minutes, which might mean the difference in a critical event.

With the Webfleet system now integrated into these alarm monitoring platforms, the entire human component is removed from the equation.

When an alarm is triggered, the monitoring system communicates directly to the fleet management system, instantly selecting a vehicle to respond and tracking the entire incident in real time.

With constant monitoring of the vehicle’s diagnostics, including driver condition, tyre pressure, engine state and precise route movement, all the guesswork is taken out of the process.

Business managers and homeowners can also download an app onto their phones, linking them directly to responding vehicles, allowing them to relay vital incident information as it happens. This better equips security response teams to make more effective preventative and reactive tactical decisions, saving lives and even serving as a potential deterrent against criminals targeting protected areas.

Domestically, the security market is significantly shaped by the economy. Security market insights from Statista show that as the economy improves, both individuals and businesses are more likely to invest in these security systems to safeguard their homes, businesses, and other properties from theft and other risks.

From surveillance to communication security services will continue to lead the way in unlocking new efficiencies in operational management that can even be carried over into other sectors.

Smartphones are a part of children’s and teens’ lives. These devices support their learning experience, opens them to a world of information and entertainment, keeps them connected to friends, and allows parents to stay in touch with them. But it’s essential to ensure children use smartphones safely.

Android devices offer a range of tools and settings to help parents manage and monitor their child’s online activities. By leveraging these features, you can create a secure digital environment and protect your children from potential online threats.

TCL suggests some essential tips and tools to help you safeguard your child’s Android device.

1. Use Google Family Link

Available for most Android devices, Google Family Link is a parental control app that helps you keep your family safer online. It gives you a range of easy-to-use tools that help you understand how your child is spending time on their device, see their device location, manage their privacy settings, set and enforce usage rules and limits, and more.

Some features include:

• Set screen-time limits to help children find a healthy balance.
• Approve or block apps that your child wants to download to ensure they have an age appropriate experience.
• Protect their privacy by viewing and managing permissions for websites and extensions accessed through Chrome, as well as apps downloaded to your child’s device.
• Help change or reset your child’s password if they forget it, edit their personal information or even delete their account.
• Locate your children on one map, as long as they’re carrying their device.
• Get critical notifications, including when your child arrives at or leaves a certain location. You can also ring devices and view the device’s remaining battery life.

2. Enable parental controls on Google Play

When you put parental controls on an Android device, you can restrict what content can be downloaded or purchased from Google Play on your child’s device based on their maturity level. You can set up parental controls for apps, games, movies and other digital content bought via Google Play.

If your child’s Google Account is managed with Family Link, you can set up parental controls for them on the app. If they have their own, independent Google Play account, you can set up parental controls directly on their device. They will need a PIN to change or remove the parental controls.

3. Set up Safe Search on Google Chrome

In Google Search results, SafeSearch can help you manage explicit content at work, with children, or for yourself. Explicit results include content like nudity, graphic sex acts, or sexually explicit material as well as violence and gore. SafeSearch is set to “Filter” by default for children who are signed in to an account managed with Family Link and those who are under 13.

4. Disable ‘sideloading’ of apps from non-official sources   

It’s wise to disable downloads from sources besides Google Play or the official app store offered by your child’s smartphone manufacturer. This will help you keep track of which apps and media your child is downloading, as well as to decrease the risks they will download malware-infected software that steals their data.

5. Educate and supervise your child

While various apps and smartphone settings help to manage your child’s online experience and keep them safer online, they’re not enough on their own. Many risks can sneak past the barriers you put in place for your child’s safety; plus, a tech-savvy kid can bypass many of these controls.

It’s thus important to teach the child about the importance of online safety and the potential dangers of sharing personal information online. Also, spend time with the child while they are using the device to guide them on proper usage and address any issues as they arise.

The advent of 5G is one of the most important technological developments for the global economy in the last few years. High-speed mobile connectivity is catalysing dramatic digital transformations around the world, bringing to life exciting new applications in the realm of spatial computing, the Internet of Things (IoT), and more.

For Africa, underserved as it is by high-speed fixed-line broadband, 5G is an especially important opportunity. It promises to allow people and small businesses throughout the region to become more active participants in the global digital economy. From entertainment to education and from business to medicine, 5G could be a game changer.

By opening wider doors to digital commerce and triggering massive infrastructure investment, 5G is expected to make a significant contribution to Africa’s growth and prosperity.  According to the GSMA,  5G is forecast to benefit the Sub-Saharan Africa economy by $11 billion in 2030, accounting for 6%-plus of the economic impact of mobile.

Paving the way for Africa’s digital future

Already, regulators and operators are laying down the foundation for the 5G economy.  As of September 2023, 27 operators in 16 markets across Africa had launched commercial 5G services. More markets are expected to follow soon, with operators in an additional 10 countries making a commitment to launch 5G in the coming years.

Yet as this process of modernising Africa’s mobile networks accelerates, it’s important that the average subscriber doesn’t get left behind. Regulators and operators are working closely together to find pathways for investment into 5G that ensure services can reach mainstream customers.

In addition, chipset manufacturers and handset makers have a critical role to play in democratising 5G. In Sub Saharan Africa,  where GDP per capita is around $1,700, handset costs pose a major barrier in bringing affordable, high-speed mobile connectivity to everyone.

Given the economic constraints faced by many African consumers, lower-priced 5G smartphones are essential for widespread adoption. Thus, one of the keys to democratising 5G lies in bringing smartphone costs down, and that, in turn, relies on chip manufacturers bringing affordable chipsets to market.

5G smartphones under $150

The technology sector has already made some dramatic progress in lowering the production cost of 5G smartphones, with devices that cost below $100-$150 starting to reach the market. At MediaTek, we are committed to providing affordable hardware platforms that make 5G accessible e to all.

The MediaTek Dimensity 6020 system  on a chip, or SOC, for example, enables smartphone manufacturers to create devices with multi-gigabit speeds, brilliant cameras, advanced gaming technologies, and faster displays for the mass market.

As 5G smartphones become more affordable and penetration increases, mobile network operators are incentivised to invest in and expand their 5G infrastructure. This increased infrastructure, boosts the availability and coverage of 5G networks, facilitating a virtuous circle of higher investment and deeper market penetration across urban and rural areas.

Over time, affordable 5G smartphones can help bridge the digital divide by providing low-income communities with access to high-speed internet. This access enables greater participation in the digital economy, improved educational and business opportunities, and enhanced access to digital services, including telemedicine and e-government services.

Perhaps as importantly, 5G will enable Africa to leapfrog legacy technologies into next-generation offerings. This could help a larger portion of the population to experience the benefits of advanced technologies, such as IoT, augmented reality, and artificial intelligence. This promotes technological literacy and drives overall societal progress.