Meet The Blackberry Classic

Although familiar in appearance, BlackBerry Classic upgrades the BlackBerry® Bold 9900 experience with:

·        Three times faster browser

·        60 percent more screen space

·        50 percent longer battery life

·        Greater variety of applications through BlackBerry World and the Amazon Appstore

Top features of the BlackBerry Classic that drive productivity, communications and collaboration include:

·        BlackBerry® Keyboard & Trackpad – The QWERTY keyboard has stood the test of time as the iconic BlackBerry feature that users know and trust. Crafted for optimal speed and accuracy, the BlackBerry Classic’s QWERTY keyboard gives users the control and confidence to communicate quickly and clearly using one hand with a trackpad and classic navigation keys.

·        BlackBerry® Browser – The BlackBerry 10 web browser is amazingly fast and astoundingly beautiful. That’s why HTML5TEST.com rates it amongst the top mobile browsers for web fidelity.* Access your favorite online content as it was meant to be seen, faster than ever before and with unlimited browser tabs.

·        Screen & Battery – The BlackBerry Classic offers a form factor optimized for power communicators with a 3.5-inch touch screen display, 294 dpi HD resolution and Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3 for greater durability. The BlackBerry Classic also offers a large battery capacity and state-of-the-art battery optimization software. With up to 22 hours of battery power, you can be confident that BlackBerry Classic will be ready to deliver results when you need it.**

·        Premium Components – The device is built with durable materials mixed with top-of-the-line technology. This includes a 1.5 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon Processor, 2GB RAM, 16GB of device storage (expandable by up to 128GB via uSD), and a 2MP front- and 8MP rear-facing camera with enhanced optics and upgraded imaging sensors.

·        BlackBerry® 10 OS 10.3.1 – The BlackBerry Classic comes preloaded with the BlackBerry 10.3.1 operating system, offering a fresh look that incorporates updated icons and an instant action bar so that each user’s most commonly accessed functions are in the center of their screen. With this new operating system, users gain access to powerful features, including:

o   BlackBerry® Blend – BlackBerry Blend brings messaging and content that is on your BlackBerry smartphone to your computer and tablet. Get instant message notifications, read and respond to your work and personal email, BBM™ and text messages, and access your documents, calendar, contacts and media in real time on whatever device you are on, powered by your BlackBerry.

o   BlackBerry® Assistant – The BlackBerry Assistant is BlackBerry’s first digital assistant and can be used with voice and text commands to help users manage work and personal email, contacts, calendar and other native BlackBerry 10 applications. It’s the only smartphone assistant on the market today that can access both personal and work content in your work perimeter. BlackBerry Assistant intelligently determines how to respond to you based on how you interact with it – if you type, it responds silently, if you speak, it speaks back and if you activate over Bluetooth, it speaks back with additional context because it assumes you might not have access to the screen.

o   Dual app storefronts for a wealth of professional and popular apps:

§  BlackBerry World – BlackBerry World showcases essential productivity apps for business professionals looking to drive efficient communications and collaboration.

§  Amazon Appstore – Preloaded on BlackBerry Classic, users can access popular Android apps and games through the Amazon Appstore including Candy Crush Saga, Pinterest, Kindle for Android and Cut the Rope 2. Users can also scan Android apps for malware and privacy issues prior to installation using BlackBerry Guardian.

·        BlackBerry® Hub – The one place to manage all your conversations – email, texts, BBM, phone calls, social media and more. You can even glance at what’s next in your calendar. It’s always available with a single swipe to help you stay organized, in control and on top of all your conversations.

BlackBerry Classic is built on BlackBerry’s renowned secure operating system, with built-in protection against viruses, tampering and data leaks. The BlackBerry Classic is private by default, protecting users with encrypted email, web browsing and BBM.

The Blackberry Classic is now available in South Africa. 

For more information, please visit http://www.BlackBerry.com/Classic.

Vodacom Business BYOD security solution - BBM Recruitment Competition

Vodacom Business launches BYOD security solution

Bring Your Own Device, or BYOD, is on the rise.  Employees are increasingly using their own smartphones, tablets, and other devices for work. It’s great for employees to be able to use the device that they prefer and can help companies increase productivity and reduce costs, but it can be a major challenge when it comes to managing company network security. Vodacom Business has now stepped in with a new solution which gives IT security managers the tools needed to safely bring BYOD under control.

Vodacom Secure Device Manager is a new Mobile Device Management (MDM) solution developed by Vodacom Business. This solution provides administration functionality for businesses to remotely manage mobile devices and enforce security policies, giving employees secure access to corporate data. The tool can be used for both company-owned and employee-owned devices across the business.

Chris Ross, Managing Executive of Products and Services at Vodacom Business said:

“With around 95% of employees stating that they use at least one personal device for work, BYOD is a reality that company IT security managers simply can’t ignore.

“Although the ability to allow staff to work at any time, from anywhere and on any device provides real business benefits, it also brings significant risks. To ensure that information does not end up in the wrong hands, it’s imperative that companies put security measures in place.”

Vodacom Secure Device Manager is a solution that enables companies to manage all devices using company resources through an internet-based console. Once devices have been added, companies can maintain the security of their data and applications, even if a device is lost or stolen. This is done by ensuring that only authorized and compliant devices have access to the company network, and by locking down and wiping the data from any lost or stolen devices. 

Vodacom Secure Device Manager also enables companies to remotely monitor the health of smart devices and run diagnostics to identify issues and fix problems as efficiently as possible. On top of this, the service allows the viewing of application inventory and data against thresholds in order to simplify the management mobile assets and inventory. Updating or adding new policies, settings, certificates, applications, and software can also all now be managed wirelessly via the internet using Vodacom Business’ MDM solution.

“The web-based console gives companies the ability to control who can access company information and applications via their own smart devices, thereby protecting vital information and helping companies to comply with regulations such as the impending POPI Act,” adds Ross.

Vodacom Secure Device Manager works across key platforms including iOS, Android and Windows Mobile devices. It’s a highly scalable solution designed to support as many or as few devices as needed, making it suitable for use by small businesses as well as large organisations and government departments.

“Companies will also have access to a dedicated Vodacom Business support team to provide the kind of round-the-clock support that our customers have come to expect from us,” adds Ross.

The Great South African BBM Recruitment Contest

Something exciting from BlackBerry just for you:

1.      The competition will run between January 30, 2015 and April 30, 2015.

2.      BBM users in South Africa – on BlackBerry, Android, iOS and Windows Phone – are eligible to participate.  However, participants must already be BBM users by January 30, 2015 in order to qualify to win. 

3.      Participants must recruit new BBM users and add them to their BBM contact list.

4.      Each new recruit must be new to BBM, have a minimum of ten contacts by the end of the contest and send messages regularly.  The 1,000 people who recruit the most new BBM users will receive 1,000.00 ZAR each of airtime credit applied to their mobile prepaid account.

For more info on BBM and The Great South African BBM Recruitment Contest, please visit http://www.bbm.com or http://www.bbm.com/contest/za

This edition by Fred Felton

Twitter @fredfelton 

Review of CMAD by Cath Jenkin

Being a community manager can sometimes feel like a lonely job. When you’re dealing with client queries, feedback requirements, complaints, compliments and trying to get that beloved escalation matrix well, escalating…some days can feel like a train ride with no tracks.

But then along comes the 24-hour CMAD celebrations and the webcasts we participated in, and that reminds all of us that, despite feeling lonely some days, we’re actually on the steam train together.

Perhaps the best part of participating in the webcast with Nazareen Ebrahim, Kirsty Bisset, Samantha Perry and Fred Felton (link-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7O9S_4ZUn5A&index=1&list=LLKnh-tz4OO6JLP5A6llKL3w) was the reminders that we’ve all got our tickets for this train ride and, so often, the challenges faced by us in our daily work, are faced by all of us, across the globe.

As we discussed the definitions and strategies for coping with a social media crisis, it’s evident that the importance of a crisis communications strategy is unparalleled. As Kirsty Bisset said, it’s important to go through the “What ifs” before they happen, so that internal response and action plans are well coordinated long before a crisis hits. As Samantha Perry pointed out too, within a crisis situation, it’s important that the right people are vested with the ability to speak on behalf of a company or brand and the importance of having a CEO or company leader come to the fore in times of crisis is a reassuring mechanism that helps to calm a client panic or outrage. Nazareen Ebrahim related a few poignant examples of how this has come into play, citing Tony Fernandez’ online responses when the AirAsia aeroplane went down in late 2014.

I’m certain that lessons learnt and shared during our session were well received and, judging by the tweets we read and online comments, it’s great to know that our webcast proved useful for Community Managers out there! Thanks to MyCommunityManager for having us!

Cath Jenkin
@cathjenkin

How do you handle a social media crisis?

That seems to be the question that everyone is asking.  Just how do you handle it?  What do you do? Where do you start? 

Well on 26 January 2015 at 1pm SA Time we will be unpacking this tough topic.   Some of the top experts in South Africa will be looking at some of the worst social media disasters and how companies and brands dealt with them.

Our experts will also be providing some valuable insight into what it takes to handle a crisis.

  

Join freelance journalist Samantha Perry, Cath Jenkin from ContentCandy and DigiKids, Nazareen Ebrahim from Socially Acceptable and Kirsty Bisset the Big Spoon at Stir.

They will be sharing their experiences and advice.

This is all part of Community Manager’s Appreciation Day on 26 January 2015 #CMAD

Find out more here: www.cmad.co

Direct link to more info on this google hangout:

http://communitymanagerappreciationday.com/schedule/handle-social-media-crisis/

Hope to see you there

Fred Felton – Host of the Social Media Crisis Segment for CMAD

Creative Director – Falconscove

Twitter @fredfelton

Wearable Tech Meets Fashion and Style

This year’s International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) has set the stage for 2015’s predicted technological trends. According to top analysts from Gartner, IDC and Forrester, one of the trends is the technological devices that marry fashion and style with the ability to integrate into your daily living. Wearable technology gives us the ability to quantify ourselves, document our lives, create new realities and express ourselves in new and exciting ways.

(The LG G Watch R) 

Ben Hammersley, a British technologist, journalist and author, sums up the future of wearable technology better than most, saying: “Wearables are truly upon us…from the basements of the 70s, to the desks of the 80s, the laps of the 90s, the front rooms of the noughties and the pockets of the twenty-teens. The next stop in this constant progression: if not in, then definitely on the body.”   

Wearable technology is not a new concept but it is one that has gained a lot of traction and is rumoured to see some of the more traditional forms of technology losing ground. Designed to interact with the user without much effort, wearable technology looks to incorporate style, fashion and the ability to track every aspect of your life.

LG has been ahead of the curve and the results are evident in their G Watch R, which is the world’s first watch-style wearable device to feature a full-circle Plastic OLED (P-OLED) display that utilises 100% of its display. With Android Wear at its core, the G Watch R delivers essential information through voice recognition notifications. Coupled with the LG Health and fitness apps, users have their health stats at their fingertips and won’t miss a beat with important reminders of missed calls and messages, upcoming meetings, events, and local weather forecasts. 

LG ushers in a new Era and see the UK's first mobile call

LG Ushers in New Year with 'Innovation For A Better Life'

Dr Ahn of LG explaining the Internet of Things at CES 2015.

He explained that IoT is transforming the way consumers live, work and play.
At CES 2015 he unveiled the webOS 2.0 upgraded smart TV platform.

LG is also expanding IoT into cars as well with V2X technologies.

Find out more here: www.LGnewsroom.com/ces2015

(Source - LG)

Blast From The Past

Sir Ernest Harrison is shown low res below, answering the phone at his Surrey home during a New Year’s party, to receive the UK’s first mobile call on

1^st January 1985:

1 January marked the 30^th anniversary of the first mobile call in the UK. 

The first mobile handset, a Vodafone VT1 Transportable, was originally sold for £1,650 – equivalent to R75,000 today with inflation. (10 hours charge time, 30 mins talk time).

Watch this - http://youtu.be/jcw_ZFxAR6g for a video of children reviewing these 1980s cellphones.

(Source - Vodacom)

Tech News and Jobs Around South Africa

New App Alert 

A new App is out just in time for the summer festivities, offering a real-time guide to popular gigs. Trender will be launched so that partygoers can see what places are Trending right now and also where their friends are going.

Trender is a photo location-based social App that ranks popular venues as a ‘Trend’. It allows both locals and out-of-towners to view the most popular venues displayed in an interactive list. Partygoers can now browse Trends by category including nightlife, bars, and restaurants or just check where friends are meeting.

Trender joint-CEO Calvin Terblanche says Trender will be available on iPhone and Android. "Ever wondered where people hang out or which places are popular ? Trender offers a real-time guide on what’s happening where, based on its real-time atmosphere."

"All that’s left to do is to decide where to spend the next few hours with friends. Trender lets you see what your friends and other partygoers are doing in your city in real-time and allows you to discover what the atmosphere is like, with current photos uploaded by people already there,” he explains.

With Trender, people can be in the right place at the right time. Users can browse a list of venues ranked in order of popularity, based on real-time check-ins. Trender ranks trends based on people checked in and also ranks users based on photos taken and activity on the App.

Content is constantly being refreshed with real-time information, its elegant interface is text input free and easy-to-use and also free from the annoyances of advertising.

“Users can also create their own Trend anywhere with their own name featured on it,” says Trender joint-CEO Deane Hitge. “They can invite friends to Trends, take and share photos of Trends in real-time, see which friends are going to which Trends and how many people are there right now. One can also view the top Trends for the past week and more importantly, see the gender ratio at a particular Trend.”

Once registered, the App allows users to share where they are going with their friends and checks them in automatically when they arrive. This is done by means of intelligent geo-fencing technology that tracks one's movement.

"It posts that you are going to a destination and then acknowledges you as arrived when you do. The built-in directions feature also ensures you get to your destination,” he adds.

“You could think of Trender as an instant gratification App to see what there is to do right now. It takes the conversation off the ‘Friday night plans WhatsApp group’ and puts it in one place in the context of what is happening around you," Terblanche concludes.

Trender is available for free worldwide and will be available in English on the Apple store and Android market. For more info visit www.gettrender.com or follow Trender on Twitter @gettrender.

Vodacom launches campaign to curb texting while driving

Texting and driving can keep your eyes off the road for as much as five seconds at a time. At 120 kph, a car would travel a distance equivalent to more than one and a half football pitches during that five seconds of inattention, making texting and driving extremely dangerous.  In fact, the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that you’re 23 times more likely to crash if texting while driving. Vodacom is taking a stand against texting and driving, and has today launched W8_2send (pronounced wait-to-send), a campaign that encourages South Africa to pledge to never text whilst driving.  

W8_2send aims to create as much awareness around the dangers of texting whilst driving as possible. The campaign, which has been specifically designed with the youth in mind, uses social media to spread the W8_2send message.

“We wanted to find a way to engage as well as educate South Africans around the dangers of texting and driving. Which is why we came up with the W8_2send online game that simulates what can happen when drivers are distracted by their cellphones on the road,” said Vodacom’s Chief Officer of Corporate Affairs, Maya Makanjee. 

The game, which can be played at www.w82send.co.za, challenges players to manoeuvre an animated car by tilting their smartphones or using the arrow keys on their keyboard. At the same time they will have to type the answers to various questions. Once played, the game then prompts players to take the pledge to W8_2send by sharing the following message with their friends and family via Facebook or Twitter:

I've just promised to wait to send. Using your phone whilst driving is dangerous. Take the pledge http://w82send.co.za #w8_2send

FNB has festive deals just for you

Festive season deals include an array of XBOX One and XBOX 360 deals from as little as R99 p.m over 24 months as well as the exclusive Samsung 40” Smart LED TV + Xbox One offer which includes the Fifa 15 game at R619 p.m over a 24 month period.

For more information on smart device gifting options for the festive season, visit: https://www.fnb.co.za/downloads/smartphone-tablet-offer/FNB_Broadsheet_2014YearEnd.pdf

*Qualifying criteria and terms and conditions apply

Jobs In Social Media

Absa is looking for Community Managers

https://barclays.taleo.net/careersection/absa_external/jobdetail.ftl?job=00191668&lang=en_GB&sns_id=twitter



This edition by Fred Felton
twitter @fredfelton