Sony said this week it will soon sell a record deck that plugs into a computer to let vinyl collectors convert their analogue recordings into digital form. The turntable hooks up with a USB cable to a computer, where special software turns the sound into MP3 or ATRAC format.
France on Tuesday won European Union approval to give â,¬99-million to several companies hoping to build a European rival to United States internet search giant Google. The EU executive says this helped fill a funding gap for something that might not otherwise win financial support.
From iPods to navigation systems, some of today’s hottest gadgets are landing on store shelves with some unwanted extras from the factory — pre-installed viruses that steal passwords, open doors for hackers and make computers spew spam. In most cases, Chinese factories are the source.
Johannesburg may be the site of Gauteng’s newest airport, it was announced on Friday. An economic feasibility study will be conducted by the Johannesburg metro council to determine the merits of building a fifth airport in the province. Currently Gauteng is serviced by OR Tambo International, Lanseria and Grand Central airports.
Cuba has eased restrictions on the sale of computers, DVD players and other electrical goods, in the first sign of economic liberalisation since Fidel Castro retired last month. The appliances will go on sale immediately and be available to anybody who can pay, according to an internal government memo.
The South African Rugby Union (Saru) has distanced itself from speculation that a Japanese team might be included in an expanded Super 14 competition. The idea was floated by Australian Rugby Union chief executive John O’Neill who was quoted as saying the idea of adding a Japanese team was on the agenda of Sanzar.
Recent revelations on how the African National Congress used its investment arm Chancellor House to divert taxpayer’s money into its own coffers explains the ruling party’s obsession with black empowerment policy, Democratic Alliance leader Helen Zille said on Friday.
South Africans are not saving enough power, President Thabo Mbeki told a community development workers’ indaba [meeting] in Midrand on Friday. ”I get a sense that we haven’t quite got this message through that it’s a national challenge which requires a response by all South Africans,” he said.
Zimbabwe’s police chief says his force will not allow British and American ”puppets” to take power in Zimbabwe, sending an ominous signal to opposition leaders ahead of March 29 polls, reports said on Friday. Commissioner-General Augustine Chihuri is the third service chief to come out in support of Robert Mugabe.
The police should be more cautious when dealing with deportation matters, Mpumalanga’s department of safety and security said on Friday, after a South African teenager was awarded damages for being arrested on suspicion of being in the country illegally.