5 Questions With Trend Analyst Dion Chang

Today I sat down with trend analyst Dion Chang from Flux Trends.

Dion Chang

I asked him 5 questions.

How far away are we from Free WiFi across Africa?

It's become such a commodity.  Profit is quite narrow in this medium.  When we see the benefit of it in countries GDP then maybe we can see it happening.

What social media trends do you see for 2015 and into the future?

Social Media Commerce.  We are at a tipping point.  It's the next step of shopping.  It's going to integrate into our lifestyles.

How do you see wearables and Google Glass?

I am disappointed in Google Glass.

Wearables are in a fitness phase at the moment.  I think wearables are going to disrupt the healthcare industry.

What does Flux Trends do?

We are a trends analysis company.   We look at the consumer mindset and we look at trends as a business strategy.  We are very much interested in disruptive technology.

Which South African Brands are doing well on Social Media?

Mr Price does it really well.  They speak to their target market well.
Spree is killing it.  They are also doing very well.

You can find Dion Chang on Twitter @dionchang


Interview by Fred Felton
Twitter @fredfelton


Fred Felton was a guest of MWEB WiFi at their #TheFutureOfWiFi Luncheon.
Find out about their WiFi here: http://www.mweb.co.za/MwebWiFi/AboutMwebWiFi.aspx

Heard of the WiFi dress?

Technology meets fashion with this little number.

The WiFi Dress

The MWEB WiFi Chameleon Dress was worn at the SA Style Awards by host Lalla Hirayama.
The dress is WiFi and GPS enabled and automatically changes colours and patterns depending on the geographical location.

The making of the dress journey can be viewed here http://tinyurl.com/npwohqj

In addition the MWEB WiFi Futuristic Fitting Room is also currently on display. The fitting room functions through the use of Microsoft Kinect and a ‘magic mirror’ which tracks a user’s size and movements. Users can then try on clothing, without having to undress, based on samples stored in the cloud, access to which is made possible by MWEB’s WiFi Zone solution.  

Look out for these Futuristic Fitting Rooms at your mall soon. 

For more details on where the MWEB WiFi Chameleon dress as well as the MWEB WiFi futuristic fitting room will next be featured, visit MWEB WiFi on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.

For more information about MWEB WiFi visit

 www.mweb.co.za/MwebWiFi/AboutMwebWiFi.aspx

#unwired

Article by Fred Felton

Twitter @fredfelton

Image - Supplied 

Apps for the Soccer World Cup & Free WiFi hits Durban's Florida Road

Apps for Soccer’s Biggest Event:

·         Team Stream (Bleacher Report) – Pick the teams you want to follow and access personalized streams for scores, stories, videos and pictures from all the best sports sources across the web. Regardless of where you are in the world, Team Stream will make it feel like you’re on the ground in Brazil getting the big news as it happens.

·         Goal (Goal.com) – The Goal.com mobile app brings you the latest news straight from a worldwide network of reporters. Don’t miss a single goal or a shred of news from the world of soccer with exclusive content from Goal.com. Awesome features include: real time access to all Goal.com breakings news; live match commentary; live Twitter feed; content sharing via email and BBM; and much more!

·         Hooligans (Najib Abdillah) – Hooligans is the ultimate soccer companion for the ultimate soccer fan. This is a must have app if you want to support your country’s team while they compete in Brazil. Take a selfie and the Hooligans app will be able to add the flags or icons of your favorite team directly onto your photo. Show your spirit and support your club by sharing your patriotic pics directly with your friends (and rivals) via BBM!

·         June Cup (s42) – June Cup will be the best friend of many busy soccer fans. Gain access to live play by play updates, instant results and stats, notifications of big news, instant social media sharing and much more. Available in English, Spanish and Portuguese, and with a unique and beautiful design, June Cup is a great option for staying in the loop while your team battles it out on the field in Brazil!

·         TheFanKit (Sensebyte Mobile) – Are you a soccer Fan, Super Fan or Mega Fan? Choose your fan level on TheFanKit and tailor the app’s functionality accordingly to get only the features you will need. Do everything from personalizing your device with wallpapers and ringtones, to staying up-to-date on news from your favorite team. TheFanKit can serve as your guide to surviving soccer’s biggest event!

If you’re taking break from watching the games and want to play a little yourself, check out these fun soccer games:

1.       World Football: Real Flick Soccer 14 (Thunderbull)

2.       Tricky Shot Soccer (DreamAppsLab)

3.       Football Director 2014 (Marmalade Play)

4.       Training With Messi (Fundacion Leo Messi)

5.       Metegol (Compana de medios digitales SA)

Show Support for Your Favorite Team on BBM

BBM Sticker Packs: Support your favourite team with new BBM sticker packs with fun team illustrations supporting the teams from Brazil, France, United States, England, Colombia, Netherlands, Nigeria, Argentina, Ecuador, Spain, Honduras, Holland, Germany and Australia.

BBM Country Flag Shortcuts: As part of this sports celebration, don’t forget the BBM shortcuts for traditional flag icons. Users can add a flag icon of their favourite team when writing in the "Write a message" field or in the “profile name", as well as in "what are you thinking" fields. To do this, you only need to enter the country code in any of the fields listed and it will appear automatically.

The complete list of country codes can be found here (compilation by CrackBerry).

Custom PIN Card Creator: As the excitement of the big tournament is everywhere, now BBM users can share their PIN and support their team through the BBM PIN Card Creator. BBM PIN Card Creator is a tool that allows you to create BBM contact cards that are as original and creative as you want them to be. This season you’ll be able to personalize your BBM contact card with a country theme. Share your PIN card with friends through Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter or via email and add them to BBM.

BBM is available for free for BlackBerry® users at BlackBerry World; for Android users it can be downloaded from Google Play and iOS users can download it from Apple App Store.

Free WiFi comes to Florida Road in Durban

For more information about MWEB WiFi visit www.mweb.co.za/MwebWiFi/AboutMwebWiFi.aspx

Mweb bringing WiFi to Florida Road in Durban

Enjoy super fast, uncapped WiFi along Durban’s Florida Road

Durban’s iconic Florida Road in Morningside will become the first of many urban streets to be lit up by super fast WiFi from MWEB.

Ever wondered what WiFi would look like if we could see it? On Saturday 14 June join MWEB WiFi in celebrating the launch of its first WiFi activated high street in Durban and enjoy a novel WiFi experience, which will demonstrate just this, along Florida Road in Morningside.

Dubbed the MWEB WiFi Florida Road Unwired event, this experience will offer a visual reference of WiFi along Florida Road with a digital surprise allowing you to interact with a series of LED WiFi enabled balloons.

It promises to be an afternoon that will live up to what Durban is known for  - entertainment and fun with great music by popular DJs with a stellar local line-up including DJ Tira,  DJ Cyndo, Coco Loco & Gagasi FM DJ’s.

“We are extremely excited to be bringing the MWEB WiFi experience to Durban. At MWEB WiFi, we continually strive to give our consumers mind-blowing entertainment experiences and what we have in store for this event is truly taking things to the next level,” commented Nathier Kasu, MWEB WiFi General Manager, who aims to touch as many people as possible with MWEB’s on-the-go WiFi solution over the coming months.

MWEB WiFi Florida Road Unwired will provide the ideal setting for a relaxed Saturday afternoon of fun times and good vibes.  Enjoy the benefits of uninterrupted access to your online world using MWEB WiFi, allowing you to connect more, stream more, capture more and, simply, do more.

Details: Saturday 14 June 2014, Florida Road Morningside from 14:00

#Unwired; @MWEBWIFIZA

For more information about MWEB WiFi visit www.mweb.co.za/MwebWiFi/AboutMwebWiFi.aspx