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A LT E C H A U T O PA G E C E L L U L A R
ISSUE 22
N E W S F R O M S O U T H A F R I C A’ S L E A D I N G I N D E P E N D E N T S E R V I C E P R OV I D E R
BRINGING TECH HOME HOW TECHNOLOGY WILL INTEGRATE OUR LIVES IN OUR FUTURE HOMES
INTERNET
2.0
The future of the wired world
THE
CONNECTED ISSUE
P L U S | S O U T H A F R I C A N H O M E A U T O M AT I O N / FOOD AND WINE IN THE WESTERN CAPE / THE FUTURE OF AFRICAN INTERNET
BROUGHT TO YOU BY ALTECH AUTOPAGE CELLULAR WWW.AUTOPAGE.CO.ZA
02 WELCOME LETTER WWW.AUTOPAGE.CO.ZA
EDITORIAL TEAM
EDITOR JESSICA GLIDDON jess@purepublishing.co.za
DESIGN DIRECTOR ANDREW BURKE andrew@purepublishing.co.za
PRODUCTION DIRECTOR MARIANNE BURKE marianne@purepublishing.co.za
SENIOR DESIGNER DAVE STRAUSS dave@purepublishing.co.za
JUNIOR DESIGNER TESSA GREEN tessa@purepublishing.co.za
MARKETING MANAGER ZANELE HADEBE marketing@autopage.altech.co.za
WELCOME TO OUR CONNECTED ISSUE! Here at Altech Autopage Cellular, we believe in bringing people closer together. You can use mobile technology to keep you in touch with your loved ones, but not only that, to streamline your life into as seamless a process as possible. It’s incredible what can be done in this modern age to connect all our various devices. Your phone, your car, your tablet, your laptop, your house: these things can all already be integrated into a single home. That’s why we thought we’d take a look at the fully automated home this issue, a home from the future that’s already here. We believe in the connected life – come explore how we can help bring you and your family together with Altech Autopage Cellular.
Zaza
MARKETING MANAGER ALTECH AUTOPAGE CELLULAR
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PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY PURE PUBLISHING & DESIGN cc for ALTECH AUTOPAGE CELLULAR P.O. BOX 191 , CAPE TOWN SOUTH AFRICA 8001 hello@purepublishing.co.za www.purepublishing.co.za All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is strictly prohibited. For editorial enquiries please email: outbox@purepublishing.co.za
03 CONTENTS WWW.AUTOPAGE.CO.ZA
contents ISSUE #22 THE CONNECTED ISSUE
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08
14
COVER STORY
BUSINESS
TECHNOLOGY
Future houses keep you connected
Integrating your business technology
How we will connect in the near future
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18
19
ENTERTAINMENT
SERVICES
WHAT’S ON
New releases of the latest in film, music and books
Health rewards with Altech Autopage Cellular
The Good Food & Wine Show in Johannesburg
PRODUCTS Your phone and your TV team up for maximum entertainment
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04 COVER STORY WWW.AUTOPAGE.CO.ZA
HOME TEC FROM BIOMETRIC SCANNERS TO HOUSEHOLD ROBOTS, THE FUTURE HOUSE IS COMPLETELY DEPENDENT ON TECHNOLOGY. AS OUR WORLD CONTINUES TO TURN INTO ONE GIANT COMPUTER, YOU CAN BE SURE YOUR HOME WON’T BE AN EXCEPTION. THE JETSONS IS NOW
Microsoft has had a Home of the Future on its Redmond, Washington campus for a few years now. There’s a counter that gives recipe instructions, an LCD in the kitchen that keeps track of your to-do list and the bedroom walls are entirely made of screens. In the living room, you can virtually visit art galleries or stores, using surface technology on your coffee table. Almost every surface is a potential touch screen. WWW.AUTOPAGE.CO.ZA
House automation isn’t as futuristic as you’d think. Microsoft’s home-installed screens are already available to consumers through Microsoft Surface, a multi-function touchscreen for any household surface. We already have wireless appliances. Samsung has a Wi-Fi enabled LCD on its new refrigerators. You can make grocery lists, research recipes, maybe even do a bit of online (continued on next page)
CH HOME
06 COVER STORY WWW.AUTOPAGE.CO.ZA
grocery shopping. Whirlpool’s Vantage washer and dryer has an LCD screen and USB port so you can programme your washer, making it more energy efficient and convenient. Even the designer of the iPod has gone into home innovation: Tony Fadell has made a digital thermostat, the Nest, with a spinning ring that changes colour according to temperature. Homes have already been built that aren’t far off Microsoft’s abode. Austrian design firm Najjar & Najjar’s Villa F Vienna incorporates computer screens into the furniture and walls. UK company Ideal Standard has built a prototype digital bathroom, featuring mirrors that change into screens, digital sensory taps and smart TVs viewable from the bath. Biometric security systems can be installed that scan your fingerprint before they let you in the house. Robots that clean your carpet or mow your lawn automatically already exist. Despite their widespread availability, it will be awhile before they are cheap enough to be common. A fully automated house can actually help save the environment. No one will be leaving the lights or the heating on, with the house itself regulating your climate controls. You don’t even have to have a speciality house built: products like the GE Nucleus connect your home electronics wirelessly, controlling the climate while monitoring your energy consumption. When Disneyland built the House of the Future in 1957, it was made of plastic, had automatically adjusting chairs and featured unheard of appliances like microwaves. But the future isn’t about futuristic materials, but about connections. They never could have predicted just how connected we’d all become. WWW.AUTOPAGE.CO.ZA
IN SOUTH AFRICA, FULLY AUTOMATED HOUSES ARE ALREADY HERE
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07 COVER STORY WWW.AUTOPAGE.CO.ZA
Previous spread left to right: Digital surfaces in Villa F Vienna by Najjar & Najjar; the Esquire Ultimate Bachelor Pad, which is so high tech it has its own virtual reality room; a hi-tech bathroom from UK company Ideal Standard. This spread, clockwise from left: An advanced eco-house from Australian lighting company Xenian; the Nest thermostat by iPod designer Tony Faddell; Ideal Standard’s high-tech concept home; the GE Nucleus interface.
Civic Automation: Civic Automation can turn your home into an almost self-sufficient entity. Lights turn on when it gets dark, the heating adjusts to changes in temperature, and you can control everything with the touch of a button. civicgroup.co.za
Nuru Intelligent Homes: Nuru offers full home automation options including security that lets you view surveillance, turn on lights, adjust temperature and even irrigation through remote control on your phone. www.nuru.co.za
Smart Home Solutions: This company automates both homes and hotels, focusing on lighting. www.smarthomes.co.za
08 BUSINESS WWW.AUTOPAGE.CO.ZA
UNIFIED SOLUTIONS ALTECH TECHNOLOGY CONCEPTS’ INCORPORATION INTO ALTECH AUTOPAGE CELLULAR MEANS EVERYTHING YOUR COMPANY NEEDS IS UNDER ONE ROOF
Your business needs to be connected in more ways than you might realise. Besides the obvious internet and telephony connections, there are many layers to the way that you communicate and interact with your customers and other clients. That’s why we’re always looking at more ways to keep you connected. Recently, Altech Autopage Cellular has merged with it sister company, Altech Technology Concepts. Altech Technology Concepts is a specialised provider of communications services and solutions, providing you with the services you need whether you are a small business or corporate enterprise. The merger will combine the strengths of both companies, creating an exciting new portfolio of projects and allowing our operations to be as streamlined as possible. The combined company will be headed by Boyd Chislett, the current Managing Director at Altech Autopage Cellular, assisted by Wayne de Nobrega, the current Chief Executive Officer of
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Altech Technology Concepts, as Chief Innovation and Strategy Officer.
“No longer will customers have to put up with different service providers when they require voice, internet and data solutions,” explains de Nobrega. “And when something goes wrong, they won’t be pushed from pillar to post as one service provider blames the other for a lack of services. Our new company will be their single point of contact for all their services.” These combined companies can now offer multiple ways to create the most connected environment possible for your business. The GSM solutions provided by Altech Autopage Cellular will be combined with the unique bouquet of Internet access solutions from Altech Technology Concepts. Their services include: physical
connections, involving creating linked or wireless infrastructure; internet access, offering options adapted to physical link technology; managed network solutions, where physical links are replaced with virtual private networks; managed services, involving cloud application services; voice solutions, involving routing calls along a high speed backbone; and search engine marketing, provided by Google certified in-house search engine experts. The integration of Altech Autopage Cellular and Altech Technology Concepts means we can now offer business customers the most comprehensive list of services possible, bringing a full portfolio of modern connectivity technologies to use at your business’ disposal. Customers no longer have to look to different service providers for their voice, data and internet solutions, but can instead have a single point of contact. It’s part of our commitment to keep you connected.
010 PRODUCTS WWW.AUTOPAGE.CO.ZA
CONNECTION ADDICTION THE DAYS OF HAVING A STEREO SYSTEM, DVD PLAYER, CD PLAYER AND CABLE BOX ARE GONE. YOUR REALLY ONLY NEED TWO DEVICES THESE DAYS: A SMART ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM AND YOUR PHONE. IT’S THE ULTIMATE IN STREAMLINING
SAMSUNG D8000 SMART TV + SAMSUNG GALAXY SII
LG 47LW6510 SMART RT TV + LG OPTIMUS
Samsung’s SmartTV recommends movies, does web sharing, allows you to upload pictures straight to your TV and even syncs with your Samsung Galaxy so you can watch streamed TV. The two are connected using an app called Smartview. Everything can be accessed through the TV’s central Smart Hub, and the interface is controllable using gesture, your voice, or even face recognition.
LG is really pushing their 3D technology, claiming to offer the most cinematic 3D TV experience out there. The TV uses a Magic Motion remote, which lets you control it with gestures. There’s a home dashboard where you can navigate through apps and controls. You can also wirelessly stream content between your TV and phone using the Smart Share function.
SCREEN / 55”
SAMSUNG D8000
DISPLAY / HD 3D LED MOTION RATE / 960HZ
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SCREEN / 47”
LG 47LW6510
DISPLAY / HD 3D LED MOTION RATE / 200HZ
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LED
SONY BRAVIA HX929 SMART TV + SONY XPERIA IA Sony has a whole host of boggling innovations they are using to offer superior picture quality, from superfast processors to high refresh rates to keep your whole experience high definition. It also provides the usual internet streaming video and widgets functionality. Sync everything across all your devices in your home, including your phone. You can use it as a remote with the Media Remote app, which turns it into a second screen.
SONY BRAVIA SCREEN / 65� DISPLAY / HD 3D LED MOTION RATE / 100HZ
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HD APPLE TV + IPHONE Apple TV is not an actual TV, but rather a multimedia receiver: basically a little box that serves as a TV connection. Connect using Airplay, ay which allows you to wirelessly stream anything from your phone or tablet straight through your TV. With the usual Apple ease of use, everything
PROCESSOR / APPLE SINGLE CORE A5 CHIP
APPLE TV
TV COMPATIBILITY / 1080P OR 720P VIDEO FORMATS / HD, MPEG-4, M-JPEG
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is accessible through iTunes or iCloud with the simple click of a sleek remote. However, you email, and can’t directly browse the web or read email you can’t watch free-to-air TV, meaning you’re basically stuck in Apple entertainment land, though there’s always streaming.
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XBOX (BY MICROSOFT) + NOKIA LUMIA MICROSOFT WINDOWS PHONE It may not be a TV, but the Xbox has a lot of the same functions. The Microsoft Windows Nokia Lumia offers a companion app that lets you control Xbox; whichever TV you attach to it is up to you. It functions much like a SmartTV: first, there’s the Xbox Live service, which has over 35 million subscribers, and the streaming services available on it. Then there’s Kinect, which integrates with Microsoft’s Bing search engine, letting you give voice commands to your Xbox. You can simply say the name of a movie, and it will play. Even better, ven bette er, your Nokia Lumia phone can become remote e a remo ote control.
XBOX PROCESSOR / INTEL NTEL PENTIUM M III 733MHZ MEMORY / 8GB B RAM / 64 MB
014 TECH WWW.AUTOPAGE.CO.ZA
THE
MATRIX IS HERE HTML 5 IS LOOMING, ALMOST ALL THE INTERNET ADDRESSES IN THE WORLD HAVE BEEN USED UP, LTE WILL SOON BE THE NEW BROADBAND AND NEW WAYS OF APPROACHING COMPUTER LANGUAGE ARE HERE. WELCOME TO THE NEW WORLD OF THE FUTURE INTERNET
The internet is quite possibly the most influential technology to have been invented in the 20th Century. Our world has fundamentally changed because of it: we function in a way today that our grandparents couldn’t have even comprehended. But as technology zooms ahead, when it comes to hardware, the intangible world of the net is also heading into a brave new world. First, there’s HTML 5. For the not particularly tech-minded, a new version of HTML basically means that the scattered world of web viewing technologies will become a bit more streamlined, reducing crashes and dependency on technologies like Flash. 3G will not be around forever either – LTE is its successor, which is capable of download speeds of around 100Mbps. 4G will happen eventually too, which will offer download speeds of up to 5Gbps. Then, there’s the actual second Internet. It’s quite a sci-fi problem: the internet is actually running out of room. It is governed by Internet Protocol version 4, which uses 32-bit numbers WWW.AUTOPAGE.CO.ZA
015 TECH WWW.AUTOPAGE.CO.ZA
to identify computers – an IP address. The thing is, there are only so many numbers available, and they’ve almost all been used. A newer version, IPv6, has already been available for some time, but the problem is that not all network devices can use IPv6. So a major overhaul is due. Voice recognition will continue to become more important for internet use. Eventually all internet commands might be run this way. And, as the world becomes increasingly connected, the ultimate goal will be to make everything recognisable through a common data language. That means even your things, from your washing machine to your car, will be connected with a common language, making your world completely seamless.
The future of SA Internet South Africa is different from much of the rest of the world in that it has a very low household internet penetration rate. This creates an interesting opportunity for mobile internet, however. South Africa is also drastically behind when it comes to bandwidth – most South Africans don’t have connections that allow them to use the internet to its full potential. At the end of the day, we need more bandwidth: hopefully cable development can catch up.
016 ENTERTAINMENT WWW.AUTOPAGE.CO.ZA
STAY OCCUPIED All the latest in the cinema, in your earphones or on your bookshelf
LISTEN UP
READABLE
EMELI SANDE
THE LAST RHINOS
The child of a Zambian father and a Scottish mother, Sandé is a talented vocalist with a silky, soulful voice and a mixed pop aesthetic reminiscent of Adele or Lana Del Ray. She rose to fame by singing with rapper Chipmunk, and now her music has already won at the Brits Critic’s Choice awards. She has also opened for both Coldplay and Alicia Keys. Our Version of Events is an engaging, beautiful, debut. It won’t be long before she’s a household name.
Eminent Conservationist Lawrence Anthony recently passed away, leaving behind an incredible legacy. He founded The Earth Organisation, famously saved Baghdad’s zoo animals and wrote several books, including The Elephant Whisperer. The Last Rhinos is the incredible story of his personal mission to save the Congo’s northern white rhinos, which he embarks on after an orphaned rhino at the Thula Thula game reserve is murdered.
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017 ENTERTAINMENT WWW.AUTOPAGE.CO.ZA
CINEMATIC
TV LAND
CORIOLANUS
ROBOGEDDON
It seems we never get bored of Roman historic epics or redoing Shakespearian dramas, and this slightly less famous of the bard’s plays gets a colourful relook in a contemporary setting. Ralph Fiennes is the title character, a fearsome and greedy general whose lust for power sees him sacrifice the interests of his people, and subsequently, his leadership is questioned. He is taken on by his sworn enemy, Tullus Aufidius, played by Gerard Butler, in this nail-biting epic.
James Cameron, the famed director of Titanic and Avatar, is set to direct a new TV show in partnership with Reality TV show creator Mark Burnett for The Discovery Channel called Robogeddon. The basic premise is robot fights – contestants will build robots meant to fight to the death. It’s a slightly unsophisticated choice for the famous director, but should be interesting nonetheless.
018 VALUE ADDED SERVICE WWW.AUTOPAGE.CO.ZA
DISCOVERING
SAVINGS Discovery Card holders get up to 20% cash back at Altech Auopage Cellular when they sign up for a new contract with us
Altech Autopage Cellular wants to ensure that you stay at the top of your game by staying healthy and saving money at the same time. Our customers who are members of Discovery Health’s Vitality programme, which rewards those who practice a healthy lifestyle, and are holders of a Discovery Card, a credit card for members of Discovery Health Vitality, can
receive savings when they sign up with Altech Autopage Cellular. Just use your Discovery Card to process your payments with a debit order, and you can save up to 20% on your subscription, depending on what level of Vitality member you are, and how many years you’ve been on the programme. It’s a simple and healthy way to stay in touch and save money.
YEARS ON VITALITY >3 3-5
BLUE 10% 10%
BRONZE 10% 11%
SILVER 10% 12%
GOLD 10% 13%
DIAMOND N/A 15%
5+
10%
12%
14%
15%
20%
If you don’t have a Discovery Card and want to sign up, you can do so easily if you’re already a Discovery Vitality member. Call 0860 11 2273 or email cardsales@discovery.co.za. Also, you can get in contact with Altech Autopage Cellular directly on 0861 23 24 24. WWW.AUTOPAGE.CO.ZA
019 WHAT’S ON WWW.AUTOPAGE.CO.ZA
what’s on ALL THE HOTTEST EVENTS THIS MONTH
KWAZULU NATAL
EASTERN CAPE
GAUTENG
EVENT: INDABA LOCATION: DURBAN DATE: 12 - 15 MAY 2012
EVENT: BRIDAL FAIR LOCATION: PORT ELIZABETH DATE: 26 - 27 MAY 2012
EVENT: JOBURG WINE SHOW LOCATION: RANDBURG DATE: 4 - 6 MAY 2012
South Africa regularly tops lists of most popular places to visit, so it would make sense that the country hosts one of the top tourism industry events in Africa. Indaba is South Africa’s event for everything and anything tourism related. If you want to know about game lodges, tours, or hotels, this is the place to go.
May is the month of bridal fairs and Port Elizabeth boasts its own, put on by the Herald newspaper. Soon-to-be brides can peruse over 120 stands showcasing the latest in bridal trends, featuring everything they might need, from bouquets to beauty treatments. One lucky bride will even win a paid-for dream wedding.
While Joburg might not be as famous as the Western Cape for its wine, it certainly has its fair share of connoisseurs. The annual Johannesburg Wine Show is a big event for wine makers. This threeday wine show features tastings and exhibition and is a great chance to get some good deals on the country’s top wines.
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WESTERN CAPE
WWW.GOODFOODANDWINESHOW.CO.ZA
EVENT: GOOD FOOD & WINE SHOW LOCATION: FORESHORE, CAPE TOWN DATE: 24 – 27 MAY 2012
South Africa’s most glamorous food event comes to Cape Town this year with the usual super line-up of celebrity chefs and food world luminaries, including Heston Blumenthal, James Martin and The Cake Boss. No less than nine state-of-the-art kitchen theatres will be showcasing the culinary arts: there will be book signings, kitchen equipment and a great selection of organic produce. The show moves to Durban in August and Joburg in September.
020 CUSTOMER SERVICE
020
SERVICE
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CUSTOMER SERVICE QUERIES 0861 23 24 24 Office Hours: Monday to Sunday 7am - 10pm email service@autopage.altech.co.za or visit www.autopage.co.za
MANAGE YOUR BUSINESS ACCOUNT ONLINE WITH MY.ACCOUNT BIZ Make access to your company’s billing information easy thanks to My.Account Biz, which lets you download, analyse and compare call usages costs from the convenience of your computer. You can check past invoices, see which services are active on each line and get comprehensive call analysis. You can even access itemised billing on specific lines, and identify any unusual expenditure. All this costs only R99 including VAT. To register for My.Account Biz call 011 650 8899
BUSINESS QUERIES Need to speak? Call us on (011) 650 8899 to speak to your Key Account Manager or business consultant directly. Email: priority@autopage.altech.co.za.
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