Bill Gates once-again world’s richest

Microsoft creator Bill Gates is once again the world’s richest person, as an upsurge in Microsoft’s stock price pushed him beyond former number one Carlos Slim. According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Gates is valued at $72.7 billion (an increase of 16%), while Slim is valued at $72.1 billion.

According to Bloomberg, “most of Gates’ fortune is held in Cascade Investment LLC, a holding entity through which he owns stakes in more than a dozen publicly traded companies and several closely held operations, including Four Seasons hotels and Corbis Corp. Less than a quarter of Gates’ fortune is held in Microsoft. He has donated $28 billion to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.”

His return to the top spot was brought on by an increase of 28 percent of Microsoft’s share price this year, “buoyed by cost controls and sales of business and server software amid weak demand for personal computers running the new Windows 8 operating system.”

New Android version called KitKat

Google’s Senior Vice President Sundar Pichai has confirmed that the next version of the company’s mobile operating system will be called KitKat.

The naming of the new version marks the continuation of the company’s quirky naming policy, as previous version 4.1 – 4.3 was called Jellybean, 4.0 was Icecream Sandwich and 3.0 was titled Honeycomb.

“Android is the operating system that powers over 1 billion smartphones and tablets. Since these devices make our lives so sweet, each Android version is named after a dessert: Cupcake, Donut, Eclair, Froyo, Gingerbread, Honeycomb, Ice Cream Sandwich, and Jelly Bean. As everybody finds it difficult to stay away from chocolate we decided to name the next version of Android after one of our favourite chocolate treats, Kitkat!,” the company said on their website.

Samsung unveils first Curved UHD TV

Samsung Electronics unveiled the first Curved UHD TV in the world at IFA 2013, the largest consumer electronics tradeshow in Europe, today.

The 55- and 65-inch Curved UHD TV deliver unrivaled picture quality due to the combination of UHD TV’s great details and curved shape providing a more immersive experience and enhanced sense of presence.

“We introduced the world’s first “Curved UHD TV” at IFA 2013 to meet various consumer expectations waiting for next new generation TV technology,” said EVP Hyun-suk Kim, head of the Visual Display business at Samsung Electronics. “This will be a milestone opening a new era of next generation TV by invigorating UHD TV Realizing curved UHD TV is more difficult to produce than curved OLED TV due to the panel characteristics. The world’s first curved UHD TV proved Samsung’s unbeatable position in TV technology once again.

Grand Theft Auto V available now

Rockstar Games is very proud to announce that Grand Theft Auto V is now available worldwide for the PlayStation3 and the Xbox 360, and also available for digital download from the PlayStation Network.

A screenshot of Grand Theft Auto (Image source: Rockstar)

“Grand Theft Auto V was a massive undertaking for us, I’m so proud of what the team created,” said Sam Houser, Founder of Rockstar Games. “We cannot wait for people to finally play it.”

Developed by series creator, Rockstar North, Grand Theft Auto V pushes the series forward in exciting new ways. For the first time, players can jump in and out of the lives of three simultaneously playable lead characters, experiencing all sides of an interwoven story.

Set in a satirical reimagining of modern day Southern California, Grand Theft Auto V offers players the freedom to explore the dense urban metropolis of Los Santos and the wide open countryside of Blaine County; plan and execute a series of epic heists; meet a vast array of strangers and freaks; or participate in a host of activities, from golf to arms trafficking, base jumping to yoga and much more.

Xbox One on show at rAge 2013

Microsoft South Africa today announced that the highly-anticipated next-generation gaming console, the Xbox One, will be on show at this year’s rAge gaming expo in Johannesburg.

Microsoft announced that their highly-anticipated next-generation gaming console, the Xbox One, will be on show at this year’s rAge (image: Microsoft)

“It has taken some time to lock things down but we can finally share the following news with you. XBOX South Africa will be attending rAge 2013 and bringing XBOX ONE along for the ride! The consoles will be on display at our stand where gamers can get hands-on with the new controller and key first party titles before the official release in 2014,” Microsoft said in a statement.

The Company added that it will offer visitors the perfect opportunity to showcase what the new device is capable of.

“This is an exciting time for us to showcase the next generation in gaming and we hope that our community are equally as excited to see what the future of gaming and entertainment hold for South Africa. We will be sharing more information on our showcase at rAge 2013 over the coming weeks.”

Lenovo’s smartphone and tablet sales surpass PC

Electronics manufacturer Lenovo announced its results for the first fiscal quarter ended June 30 this year and confirmed that, for the first time, its combined smartphone and tablet sales have overtaken

those of its PCs business.

The company had a quarterly revenue of $8.8 billion, which represents a ten percent increase year-over-year, while earnings grew 23 percent year-over-year to $174 million.

Digital dangers of taking a smartphone to a music concert

A survey of “modern fans” – defined as men and women who have recently attended concerts, events and festivals, in 11 countries around the world – revealed the following:

Sony unveils 3-in-1 headphones combo

“The new Walkman WH Series brings you the best of Sony – speakers, headphones, and digital music player – in one innovative, wire-free design. Move to music without the tangle of cables. Create your own personal surround sound with a touch of the built-in speakers. Or simply chill out to the pure sound of high performance headphones,” the company said in a statement.

The unit comes in two different models, with the NWZ-WH505 featuring a 16GB music player, 40mm dome type headphone driver unit, and 40Ω impedance and a wide sound range of 5–25,000Hz in clarity.

Samsung reveals new GALAXY Note 10.1

The device makes use of a WQXGA Super clear LCD (2560×1600) resolution in a 10-inch display, 1.9 GHZ Octa Core processor (for 3G / WiFi only version) and 3GB RAM.

“The new GALAXY Note 10.1 is the most progressive 10-inch tablet, delivering the best viewing and multitasking experiences. It is the most recent demonstration of Samsung Mobile’s focus on constant product innovation to stay aligned with shifting consumer interests,” said JK Shin, CEO and President of IT & Mobile Division at Samsung Electronics.

Bullrun: The NSA Backdoor Anti-Encryption Bug Program That Breaks Most Encryption on the Internet

Astonishing and explosive news emerged yesterday yet again from the Snowden files. This is a whopper that is much bigger than PRISM.  As reported in the Guardian, the New York Times, and ProPublica, the NSA has the ability to decrypt most of anything that is on the internet.  They have done this not through cracking encryption mathematically, but by secretly using influence and billions of dollars to insert backdoors designed to preserve their ability to eavesdrop.  A not-so random number here, a little snippet of code there, and the exploiting of privileged access to keys – it’s pretty stunning news.  The program started in 2000, pre-9-11 times when encryption tools really started to spread on the web.  Since that time they have been secretly working to undermine most encryption technology.

Google Chromecast review

A new device from Google makes it easy to stream video from several popular services to a high-definition TV. Chromecast is tiny enough to dangle from a keychain when not in use, but it packs a big punch for a low price.

iPhone 5 Review: Five Reasons Why You're Wrong To Hate The New iPhone

If you haven't by now made up your mind about the iPhone 5 you probably have little-to-no interest in the device. Which by our last count makes you virtually unique among sentient human beings.

Google Nexus 7 Tablet Hands-On: Remarkably Boring (In A Good Way)

After a hands-on with the Galaxy Nexus 7, the new Asus-built tablet running Android 4.1 and available in mid-July, we came away impressed by most of it, bored by some of it - and thanks to one simple fact, a little bit blown away.

Yes, the Nexus is a light, well-built, capable seven-inch tablet that boasts a decent processor, a good screen and a comfortable, carbon-like backplate. But it isn't the build quality that impressed us most.

So was it the form factor? True, in your hand the Nexus feels solid, straightforward, and usable. It's about the size of a paperback - big enough to read and possibly watch a film, but not too big that you'd actually notice it floating around in your bag. But no, it wasn't that either.

Nexus 4 Android Phone Hacked Into 4G Device (In Canada...)

The new Nexus 4 by Google and LG has already won praise for its fast processor and bafflingly low price tag. Yes, it's missing December. But you can't have everything.

Now it can add another string to its bow. Kinda.

The flagship Android phone, which was originally criticised for not including a 4G radio, has been hacked to accept 4G signal. Er, in Canada.

The hack was made possible by the discovery earlier this month that the phone does in fact have a form of 4G chip inside - just not the right kind to connect to the UK's only 4G network, run by EE.

Nokia Lumia 920 Review: When Does 'Bold' Become 'Ridiculous'?

Nokia's Windows Phone Lumia phones have won universal praise for their industrial design since their launch in 2011. And one of the words most often used to describe them?

Kirobo Robotic Astronaut Says Hello Aboard the International Space Station

"Good morning to everyone on Earth."

These are among the first words said by Kirobo today, the world's first talking robot astronaut and Japan's gift to the International Space Station.

Kirobo, a combination of the Japanese words for "hope" and "robot," launched one month ago from Tanegashima Space Center and arrived at the ISS on Aug. 10, along with 3.5 tons of cargo and supplies.

Samsung Galaxy Gear Preview: Hands-On With The Big New Smartwatch

  The Samsung Galaxy Gear is a 1.3-inch smartwatch with a built-in camera, which will be launched globally alongside the Galaxy Note III in September for $299.

Key Features:

Golden Spike Moon Mission: Private Company Offers Tourists $1.5 Billion Ticket To History

A new private space company has announced an ambitious plan to send tourists to Moon by 2020.

Golden Spike, named after the final bolt hammered into the First Transcontinental Railroad, will sell each two-person mission for $1.5 billion.

Former Nasa science mission director Alan Stern will serve as CEO, and his advisers will include Nasa shuttle program manager Wayne Hale and Homer Hickam, a former Nasa engineer.

Sony Xperia Z1 Among Host Of New Products Unveiled At IFA

Sony has launched its latest flagship smartphone, a new vision for mobile photography - and an awful lot of TVs.

The Japanese tech giant unveiled its new range of electronics at the IFA trade show in Berlin alongside other big announcements by Samsung and Panasonic.

Top of the Sony pile of new kit was the new Xperia Z1 smartphone - the successor to the Xperia Z.

The Z1 takes the waterproof, high-end DNA of the original and rounds the corners of its design, adds an upgraded camera and a faster processor.