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Despite the hype, a local idea - Eyeballs - could end up cracking it and becoming a world leader in cellphone advertising…

It’s not often that an inventor of a product cries at its public launch. Nathan Levin, founder and inventor of Eyeballs cried at the product’s flashy launch at Sandton Isle’s Aston Martin dealership last week. He says he cried the night before in Cape Town too. Levin had a reason to cry. For as long as he can remember, he’s been trying to crack “it”. He’s an inventor in the old-mould. His work started around a decade ago with an idea based on displaying ads while people dialled-up to the internet. After years of research, reworking, brainstorms and tireless effort, Levin seemed to have actually cracked it. It took a few more months of all-nighters, seven-day weeks and some chance encounters with people like Larry Katz (now MD of the company) to actually bring Eyeballs to market.

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With the official launch of Apple’s iPhone mere weeks or months away (Vodacom won’t say which), an increasing number of South Africans are asking: “Should I wait?” Those with contract upgrades due are also wondering out loud about what to choose.

This largely depends on two things: can you afford it and do you really want to use everything the iPhone offers?

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I want a new cellphone. My MTN contract has been due for an upgrade for the past three months, but I’ve been stalling.

In short, I want the “perfect” cellphone … if, indeed, there is such a thing. I hope I’m speaking for the many who are facing the exact same dilemma. I’m not 16 years old so “clever” gimmicks don’t impress me. Nor do pink phones Or phones trying to be iPods. Come to think of it, I wouldn’t want a gold phone designed by Dolce & Gabbana or one called “Chocolate” either. Even if Chocolate phones now come in pink.

No, I don’t want a Carl Zeiss lens. Who purposefully takes 3 megapixel photos with their phone?! If you’ve got the few thousand rand needed to purchase one of these super camera phones, surely you already own a digital camera? Yes, you’ll want to take one or two opportunistic snaps at some-or-other late night out, but do you really need a lens that takes up half the size of the phone?

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Two men spearheading the revolution speak candidly about BCX, competition and recent management resignations…
One gets a strange feeling when you walk into Telkom’s sprawling National Business Solutions Centre in Centurion. This atmosphere is quite unlike the overwhelming sense of bureaucracy at Telkom Towers in Pretoria.

It’s almost as if the change is being led from here. The building is at the end of a short road in an area unimaginatively named TechnoPark. Most don’t even know it exists. (more…)

Something I’ve been wanting to write for about six months: this week’s column. I’m willing to bet that Telkom will look something like this in about three years’ time…

IRATE complainants about Telkom’s service receive a diabolical recorded message if they annoy call centre staff:“If you did not call Telkom to do business,” the canned voice says, “take the time out to speak to a family member or a friend. You are denying someone else the opportunity to do so [deal with Telkom]. Please remember that these calls are recorded and can be traced.”

No problem resolution. No apology.

Fear not we are told, Telkom CEO Papi Molotsane is on a mission: to delight customers. Speaking on Moneyweb Radio after the release of the company’s results on Monday, Molotsane drove home the point.

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