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Why success in African e-commerce is all about scale and biding your time

Dec23
by on December 23, 2014 at 11:26 am
Posted In: Around the Web, Insider, Investigations

ecommerce
It is widely agreed that the African e-commerce market presents a huge opportunity for entrepreneurs and investors alike. Frost & Sullivan estimates the market will be worth $50 billion by 2018, compared to $8 billion in 2013. E-commerce businesses of various persuasions and sizes are springing up across the continent, and investment money is flowing into the sector. Yet the truth is more nuanced. Though e-commerce is undoubtedly a long-term opportunity, and investors have not been slow to spot this, at the moment the market faces severe limitations. The primary issue is that the market is just too small. Only…

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TripAdvisor has been fined in Italy over misleading reviews

Dec23
by on December 23, 2014 at 11:14 am
Posted In: Apps, Around the Web, fine, Italian Competition Authority, Product Reviews, tripadvisor

TripAdvisor
TripAdvisor has been fined $611,842 (€500,000) by Italy’s competition watchdog for publishing misleading information in reviews. The Italian Competition Authority conducted a seven-month investigation following complaints from a consumer group and hotel owners. The regulator said that TripAdvisor failed to implement controls to prevent false reviews and promoted the site as “authentic and genuine.” It has given the company a 90-day deadline to propose a solution. TripAdvisor disputes the ruling and will appeal. It said in a statement: “Our systems and procedures are extremely efficient in protecting consumers from a small minority of people who try to con our system.” In…

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Apple pushes first automatic OS X update to fix critical flaw

Dec23
by on December 23, 2014 at 9:00 am
Posted In: Apps, Around the Web, Mac, os x, Product Updates

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Apple has pushed out its first automatic security update for OS X to deal with newly identified bugs that researchers warned could allow hackers to remotely control machines. The company pushed the software fix to deal with critical security vulnerabilities affecting Unix-based systems including OS X. The issue was with the network time protocol (NTP), which is used to synchronize computer system clocks. The bugs were flagged in security bulletins from the US Department of Homeland Security and the Carnegie Mellon University Software Engineering Institute late last week. Apple previously released security patches through its regular software update system, which usually requires…

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Samsung’s Look At Me app for Android helps kids with autism make eye contact

Dec23
by on December 23, 2014 at 8:10 am
Posted In: Apps, Around the Web, Autism, samsung

Look At Me
Those who live with autism often have trouble making eye contact with others and perceiving emotions in others. A new app from Samsung might help children develop these skills — and make it fun too. Dubbed ‘Look At Me‘, the new app for Android uses smartphones’ cameras to help kids learn to read people’s moods, remember faces and express themselves with facial expressions and poses. It also gamifies these activities with interactive missions and a point system, and can be completed over a week with 15-20 minutes of play daily. The app is geared towards helping children with autism to…

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