African Real Estate & Infrastructure Summit to gather developers, investors and planners

“New forms of urban planning in African cities seem to be dedicated to transforming them into replicas of Dubai, Shanghai and Singapore,” says Professor Vanessa Watson, of the School of Architecture, Planning and Geomatics, University of Cape Town. According to Prof Watson, the main challenge of the real estate sector on the continent currently is “to find approaches to real estate development which are not only for the wealthy, and which find architectural and planning approaches which are not simplistic ‘cut and pastes’ of cities elsewhere in the world.”

Prof Watson is part of an exciting speaker line-up at the upcoming African Real Estate & Infrastructure Summit in Cape Town from 2-3 November with a contribution that will focus on “African cities for sale. World-class, smart, eco or just profitable?” She explains: “rapid growth of African cities means that urban development is required, but noting that the vast majority of this growth is of poor and unemployed households. The very small urban middle-class offers limited opportunity for real estate aimed high-income households. Finding housing models for lower income households is absolutely possible and offers far greater opportunity.”

Other exciting speakers on the programme include:

- Eng. Jose Miranda, Regional Director Africa, Aurecon, South Africa, who will be part of a presentation entitled: “What makes a multi-billion dollar project in Africa?” about the international, award-winning General Master Plan for Luanda City (2030 Luanda Plan) outlining the sustainable transformation and development plans.

Says Eng. Miranda: “water, energy and sanitation are fundamental needs for all human beings.  Preserving Luanda’s natural environment, whilst providing the people of Luanda with a future city they will benefit from, is an important priority to Aurecon within the Luanda City Master Plan or Plano Director Geral Metropolitano de Luanda (PDGML). As part of the strategic city and provincial wide infrastructure planning service provided, we attempted to ensure the people of Luanda and surrounds have access to energy, drinkable water, sanitation, and increased waste recycling.”

- “There seems to be a measurable disconnect between the public sector and private sector regarding city planning,” says Albert Smuts, Architect and Director, Fieldworks Design Group, who is part of a panel discussion on “Making African cities of tomorrow inclusive” at the event next month. He adds: “there is very little in the form of readily available land intended for private development within our urban centres, and in turn governmental city planning suffers because of the consequential sprawl.”

He continues: “the rate of urbanisation in Africa far exceeds that of the western world, which means that un-programmed, unprotected open land becomes quickly commoditised. This exacerbates issues associated with the expansion of suburbia and urban sprawl”.

More headline speakers at the African Real Estate & Infrastructure Summit are:
- Tim Harris, CEO, WESGRO
- Jean Pierre Elong Mbassi, Secretary General, UCLG-A*
- Lekwalo Mosienyane, Director, Business Botswana 
- Mokena Makeka, Founder & Principal, Makeka Design Lab, South Africa 
- Kecia Rust, Director & Founder, Centre for Affordable Housing Finance in Africa / Secretariat to the African Union for Housing Finance, UN-Habitat, South Africa
- Amine Turki, Secretary General, Africa Union of Architects, Tunisia

*UCLG-A: United Cities and Local Governments of Africa

The African Real Estate & Infrastructure Summit will gather the full spectrum of the continent’s real estate sector and will assist African cities and governments to secure international investment for commercial real estate development and infrastructure projects that will contribute to Urban Development Plans (UDPs).

The African Real Estate & Infrastructure Summit is organised by Spintelligent, leading Cape Town-based trade exhibition and conference organiser, and the African office of Clarion Events Ltd, based in the UK. Spintelligent is well known for organising exhibitions and conferences across the continent in the infrastructure, energy, mining, agriculture and education sectors. Longstanding flagship events by Spintelligent include African Utility Week, East African Power Industry Convention (EAPIC), West African Power Industry Convention (WAPIC), Agritech Expo, DRC Mining Week and EduWeek.

UCLG Africa
The UCLG Africa is the patron of the upcoming African Real Estate & Infrastructure Summit in Cape Town. The UCLG AFRICA is the umbrella organisation and the united voice and representative of local government in Africa. It is an institution that gathers 40 national associations of local governments from all regions of Africa as well as the 2000 cities that have more than 100.000 inhabitants. Therefore UCLG AFRICA represents nearly 350 million Africans citizens.

Dates for African Real Estate & Infrastructure Summit 2016:
Showcase and conference: 2-3 November 2016
Location: CTICC, Cape Town, South Africa
Website: http://www.african-real-estate-summit.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ARES_Summit
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8518271

Media contact:
Senior communications manager:  Annemarie Roodbol
Telephone:  +27 21 700 3558
Mobile:  +27 82 562 7844
Email:  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Jewellery is not just an accessory; it’s a form of self-expression.

PANDORA’s beautiful hand-finished universe of jewellery reflects your personality and lets you express yourself in style. Whoever and wherever you are.  

Share your jewellery look with us and use #TheLookOfYou on Facebook and Twitter.

PANDORA South Africa recently partnered with four bloggers who chose jewellery to express their unique look for the season and provide style inspiration that is local, relevant and accessible.

PANDORA jewellery is available across South Africa in Gauteng at Sandton, Eastgate, Fourways, Brooklyn, Menlyn Park, Woodlands, Clearwater, Cresta, Forest Hill, East Rand Mall, Rosebank, Mall of Africa and Greenstone; in Cape Town at the V&A Waterfront, Cavendish, Somerset, George, Canal Walk and Tyger Valley: in KwaZulu-Natal at La Lucia, Pavilion, Ballito and Watercrest; in Nelspruit at Riverside Mall and in Eastern Cape in Bay West and in selected Edgars stores and fine jewellers nationwide and Mauritius, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Click here to find your nearest store.

ABOUT PANDORA ​

PANDORA designs, manufactures and markets hand-finished and contemporary jewellery made from high-quality materials at affordable prices. PANDORA jewellery is sold in more than 100 countries on six continents through approximately 8,900 points of sale, including more than 1,900 concept stores.

Founded in 1982 and headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, PANDORA employs more than 17,800 people worldwide of whom approximately 12,000 are located in Gemopolis, Thailand, where the Company manufactures its jewellery. PANDORA is publicly listed on the NASDAQ Copenhagen stock exchange in Denmark. In 2015, PANDORA’s total revenue was DKK 16.7 billion (approximately EUR 2.2 billion). 

ASUS Announces ZenBook UX330UA 

KEY POINTS  

• Thinnest-ever 13.3-inch ZenBook is only 13.5mm thin and weighs just 1.2kg
• Has one of the highest resolution 13.3-inch screens available, with over 40% more pixels than Apple’s 13-inch Retina display
• Offers an incredible 12-hour battery life for all-day, on-the-go productivity 

Johannesburg, South Africa — ASUS has announced the elegant and powerful ZenBook UX330UA, the thinnest-ever 13.3-inch ZenBook model. Precision-crafted from solid aluminium and powered by a high-performance up to Intel Core i7 processor, the 13.5mm-thin ZenBook UX330UA is 15 percent thinner than its predecessor — the highly-acclaimed ZenBook UX305 — and is also one of the world’s slimmest 13.3-inch laptops to feature this processor. 

With a crisp and vibrant up to QHD+ (3200 by 1800) display — the highest resolution available at this size — and a weight of just 1.2kg, the sophisticated ZenBook UX330UA is the ultimate ultraportable for discerning users. 

ZenBook UX330UA has an incredible battery life of up to 12 hours, for non-stop productivity throughout the working day and beyond. 

Continuing the ZenBook tradition

With a chassis measuring only 13.5mm thin and weighing just 1.2kg, ASUS ZenBook UX330UA is one of the world’s slimmest and lightest 13.3-inch laptops. It is precision-crafted from a solid block of aluminium, giving it incredible strength without the compromise of added weight or bulk. Proudly carrying the ZenBook DNA, ZenBook UX330UA features all the iconic design elements of the series including the distinctive wedge-shaped profile, and the signature spun-metal finish on the lid with its Zen-inspired pattern of concentric circles. ZenBook UX330UA is available in two subtly elegant colours: Rose Gold and Quartz Grey. 

Stunningly-detailed QHD+ display

ASUS ZenBook UX330UA features a stunningly-detailed 13.3-inch up to QHD+ (3200 by 1800) wide-viewing-angle display that has one of the highest resolutions available for a display of this size, with 40% more pixels than the 13-inch Retina® display used by Apple® [1]. This ultra-high resolution makes ZenBook UX330UA equally suited to work or play. 

Exclusive ASUS technologies enhance UX330UA’s display even further. ASUS Tru2Life Video enhances each pixel in every video frame to give sharper, clearer and more realistic-looking videos, and ASUS Splendid ensures vivid, accurate colours for any kind of visual content. 

Incredible touch, incredible sound

For comfortable typing in any situation, ASUS ZenBook UX330UA features a supremely comfortable keyboard with widely separated keys that have a generous 1.5mm key travel. The keyboard is also backlit for easy typing in dim environments. Reliability is assured by a rigorous 10-million-stroke testing procedure. The glass-coated touchpad is larger than average, and is extremely smooth to the touch for more accurate control. It supports Windows 10’s multi-touch and multi-gesture input with up to 3-finger gestures, making it easy to switch applications or screens. 

Incredible sound has always been a feature of the ZenBook family, and UX330UA is no exception. ASUS SonicMaster audio, developed in cooperation with audio experts Harman Kardon, produces sound with deep, rich bass and crystal-clear vocals. The easy-to-use AudioWizard software has five presets optimized for different sound sources, so users can always enjoy the ultimate listening experience. 

AVAILABILITY & PRICING

ASUS ZenBook UX330UA will be available from January 2017 in South Africa from DionWired and other leading retailers. Please contact your local ASUS representative for further information.

SPECIFICATIONS [2]  

ASUS ZenBook UX330UA    

• OS Windows 10 Pro/Home
• CPU 6th-gen Intel® Core™ i7/i5
• Graphics Intel® HD Graphics
• Memory LPDDR3 1866MHz up to 8GB
• Display 13.3in 16:9 wide-viewing-angle QHD+ (3200x1800) 13.3in 16:9 wide-viewing-angle FHD (1920 x 1080)
• Storage SSD: 256GB / 512GB
• Connectivity 802.11ac Wi-Fi / Bluetooth® 4.1
• Camera HD 720p CMOS module
• Keyboard Frameless Chiclet keyboard with backlight
• I/O ports 1 x Micro HDMI 1 x USB 3.0 Gen 1 Type-C 2 x USB 3.0 1 x SD/SDXC Card reader 1 x audio jack combo
• Audio ASUS SonicMaster/Harmon Kardon audio system with Integrated microphone
• Battery 57Wh Li-polymer, up to 12 hours’ battery life (Core i5 version)
• AC adapter: Output 19V 45W / Input: 100~240V AC, 50/60Hz universal
• Weight 1.2kg
• Dimensions 221.5 x 323 x 13.5mm 

__________________________________________

[1] Compared to 13-inch 2560x1600 Retina® display 

[2] Specifications, content and product availability are all subject to change without notice and may differ from country to country. Actual performance may vary depending on applications, usage, environment and other factors. 

Full specifications are available at www.asus.com 

ABOUT ASUS

ASUS is a worldwide top-three consumer notebook vendor and maker of the world’s best-selling, most award-winning motherboards. A leading enterprise in the new digital era, ASUS designs and manufactures products that perfectly meet the needs of today’s digital home and office, with a broad portfolio that includes motherboards, graphics cards, optical drives, displays, desktop and all-in-one PCs, notebooks, netbooks, servers, multimedia devices, wireless solutions, networking devices, tablets and smartphones. Driven by innovation and committed to quality, ASUS won 4,368 awards in 2015 and is widely credited with revolutionizing the PC industry with its Eee PC™. ASUS has more than 17,000 employees around the globe with a world-class R&D team of over 5,500 engineers. Company revenue for 2015 was approximately US$14 billion. 

NOTES TO EDITORS

ASUS Global Press Room: http://press.asus.com
ASUS South Africa Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ASUSza
ASUS South Africa Twitter: https://twitter.com/ASUS_za

"5, 4, 3, 2, 1... Pitch and Polish!" 

For the past six years, these sounds have reverberated in community halls across South Africa, as entrepreneurs have presented their business ideas to audiences and expert judges. What began, in Nelspruit in 2010 with an audience of forty people – as a small idea to assist entrepreneurs to hone their business pitches – has grown into a national programme which, in 2015, saw 1680 audience members attend eight workshops and competitions from Cape Town to Klerskdorp.

Now in its seventh year, the ENGEN Pitch & Polish programme has become so successful that Engen Petroleum Ltd. is sponsoring it for a fifth year, with Nedbank coming on board as a major sponsor for 2016. “Seven is a magic number,” says Unathi Njokweni-Magida Engen’s Group Transformation Manager, “and so we are expecting big things from the ENGEN Pitch & Polish programme this year.”For Njokweni-Magida, Engen’s motto ‘with us you are number one’ dovetails beautifully with Pitch & Polish’s purpose. “The programme aims to find the number one unsung entrepreneur in South Africa. This is the person who, in Stage 1 of the competition, has a business idea that we think will succeed. The question is whether the entrepreneur has what it takes to learn the lessons offered by the workshops, and polish their pitch to such a point that success is inevitable,” says Njokweni-Magida.

Nhlakanipho Shange was one such entrepreneur. Armed with a dream, he entered ENGEN Pitch & Polish in Wentworth, in KwaZulu-Natal, in 2013. Although Shange did not win the competition, he attributes his success to the experience he gained as he proceeded from the first to the semi-final round of the competition. “At ENGEN Pitch & Polish I learned that preparation is the key to success,” says Shange. “As an entrepreneur, you never know when someone will ask you: ‘What does your business do?’ If you are unable to answer this question clearly, in less than 3 minutes, you will not be able to access the resources to grow your business,” he states with the self-assurance of an entrepreneur who has integrated the lessons he learned at the workshop. The competition gave Shange the confidence to transform his idea into a fully-fledged business. AD.IT Solutions is fast becoming a pioneer in disruptive digital media technology in South Africa.  And it all began when Shange dared to enter a competition! This year, AD.IT Solution will be providing advertising services for Pitch & Polish. The competition, which started as his teacher, has now become his client. “I understand now that entrepreneurship is a journey, not a destination,’” says Shange.

From ‘Dragon’s Den’ to ‘The Apprentice’, we have become accustomed to watching entrepreneurs pitching their ideas. Pitch & Polish is different in that it uniquely combines training, audience participation and a competition to ensure as wide a reach as possible. Because it is not possible for everyone to participate in the actual competition, every Pitch & Polish Day begins with a workshop in which the entire audience is provided with knowledge and skills to equip them to translate their ideas into businesses, or to take their existing businesses to greater heights. The workshop, based on the best-selling book, ‘Lose the Business Plan’ by Allon Raiz, CEO of Raizcorp, teaches entrepreneurs that starting a business is not about funding. Rather, it is about having a product or service for which people are willing to pay.“Without a paying customer,” says Raiz, “you don’t have a business. Yet, from workshop to workshop, when asked who their target market is, the standard answer given by entrepreneurs is: ‘Everyone’. Pitch & Polish forces entrepreneurs to question deeply and to find answers to the key questions: ‘What do you sell?’ and ‘Who’s buying?’ If you cannot answer these two questions, you do not have a business,” says Raiz. Raiz continues, “Pitch & Polish provides a safe environment for entrepreneurs to learn the lessons – before they have to face the dragons!”Nedbank, one of the sponsors of Pitch & Polish, continues to support SMEs as well as aspirant entrepreneurs through practical solutions. ‘Through our ongoing engagement with small and medium enterprises, we understand the enormous responsibility business owners face in starting up and running their businesses. The Pitch & Polish workshops are a perfect platform to empower businesses with simple tools aimed at refining their ideas and building their confidence for the journey ahead. This is another way we continue to make the things that really matter for businesses happen,’ says Tracy Afonso: Head of Strategy, Small Business and Professional Banking at Nedbank.

Every one of the 1680 people who attended ENGEN Pitch & Polish workshops last year learned something, both about themselves and about business. “If each participant implements one of the lessons in their business, or passes on the lesson to another, the ripple effect of Pitch & Polish on the economy is enormous,” says Raiz.

For a list of this year’s workshops, and to experience the magic of Pitch & Polish for yourself, visit www.pitchandpolish.com.

Innovative premium convertible laptop family enhanced with new models featuring powerful Intel Core i7 and i5 processors  

KEY POINTS  

• Stylish and elegant 13.3in and 15.6in models with a versatile 360°-flippable display that is great for work in confined spaces, and ideal for business travelers
• The first ZenBook Flip models to feature powerful Intel Core i7 and i5 processors for superb all-round performance
• All models have the highest resolution screens available for their respective display sizes  

Johannesburg, South Africa — ASUS has announced the ZenBook Flip UX360UA and the ZenBook Flip UX560 Series, the latest convertible models in the premium ZenBook Flip Series. Both models feature a 360°-flippable display with an ultra-reliable stepless hinge that allows them to be used as a traditional touchscreen laptop, a convenient tablet, or any option in between. This gives users the flexibility to view content comfortably in any work or leisure scenario, and particularly in the confined areas often encountered during commuting or business travel.  

ZenBook Flip UX360UA and UX560 are also the first ZenBook Flip models to feature powerful Intel® Core™ i7 and i5 processors, bringing a new level of performance to the convertible form factor.  

The new ZenBook Flip models have touchscreen displays that offer the highest available resolution for their respective sizes. ZenBook Flip UX360UA has a 13.3-inch, QHD+ (3200 by 1800) display, while ZenBook Flip UX560 features a 15.6-inch, 4K UHD (3840 by 2160) display.  

The ZenBook Flip UX560 Series consists of three models (UX560UA, UX560UQ and UX560UX), differentiated solely by their graphics options. The flagship UX560UX model features a discrete NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950 graphics processing unit (GPU) with 2GB of video RAM.  

360° of Freedom, 100% ZenBook

ASUS ZenBook Flip UX360UA and UX560 inherit all the DNA of the classic ZenBook design, adding a distinctive touch of individuality to the convertible form factor. They feature a unibody chassis crafted from a single block of solid aluminium, with the lid featuring the signature spun-metal ZenBook finish with its Zen-inspired pattern of concentric circles.  

A masterpiece of lightweight design, UX360UA measures just 13.9mm thick and weighs a mere 1.3kg. Its elegant looks are further enhanced by the two stylish colour options of Rose Gold and Mineral Grey.  

ZenBook Flip UX560 Series includes some of the thinnest and lightest 15.6-inch convertibles available, with UX560UA measuring just 19.8mm thin and weighing only 2.1kg. ZenBook UX560UA is finished in sophisticated Glacier Silver, while UX560UQ and UX560UX are available in a choice of Chocolate Brown or Matt Black.  

The robust, 360° any-position hinge on the new ZenBook Flip models has been reduced in size by 50 percent, and has an attractive jewellery-inspired design with a brilliant anodized finish that adds a touch of understated luxury.  

Stunning detail and lifelike colour, from any angle

ASUS ZenBook Flip UX360UA and UX560 are equipped with highest resolution touchscreen displays available for their respective sizes. ZenBook Flip UX360UA has a QHD+ (3200 by 1800) resolution 13.3-inch panel, while ZenBook Flip UX560 features a stunningly detailed 4K UHD (3840 by 2160) 15.6-inch display.  

Both displays employ wide-viewing-angle technology, which provides noticeably better colour reproduction and contrast when viewed off-centre compared to other LCD technologies. Combined with their versatile flip capability and 350cd/m2 brightness, users can experience the full detail of ultra-high-resolution movies or photos, as well as enjoying amazing clarity for everyday productivity tasks.  

The displays also feature a wide colour gamut — 100 percent sRGB and 72 percent NTSC — for vivid and accurate colour rendering. In addition, ASUS Tru2Life Video enhances each pixel in every video frame to give sharper, clearer and more realistic-looking videos, and ASUS Splendid ensures vivid, accurate colours for any kind of visual content.   

Performance to spare, and no-compromise connectivity

ZenBook Flip UX360UA and UX560 are the first members of the ZenBook Flip family to be powered by high-performance 6th-generation Intel Core i7 and i5 processors, which deliver seamless multitasking and more than enough computing power for the most demanding tasks.  

Other high performance components include 16GB of 1866MHz LPDDR3 RAM and a 512GB high speed SATA 3 SSD. The UX560 series is available with an optional PCIe® solid-state disk (SSD) that outperforms conventional SSDs.  

Despite their outstanding performance, the ZenBook Flip UX360UA and UX560 are still able to achieve an impressive up to 12-hour battery life for full-working-day convenience.  

ASUS ZenBook Flip UX360UA and UX560 offer a wider range of ports and connectors than many of their rivals. In addition to an SD Card reader and combination audio jack, ZenBook Flip UX360UA has two USB Type-A ports, a USB-C port for any-way-up connections, and a full-size HDMI display port. ZenBook Flip UX560 additionally features an extra USB 3.0 Type-A port.  

Immersive entertainment is provided by the ASUS SonicMaster audio system, designed in cooperation with audio experts Harman Kardon, with powerful finely-tuned speakers that deliver superbly rich, crystal-clear sound. A precision noise-reducing array microphone is fitted that not only makes sound recordings clearer, but also allows accurate voice interaction with Windows Cortana, for which it is certified.  

Unrivalled ergonomics

All ASUS ZenBook Flip UX360UA and UX560 models feature an ergonomic, gently backlit keyboard with full-size keys and long key travel for comfortable typing in any lighting conditions.  

The large glass-coated touchpad allows smooth and accurate navigation, and also supports intuitive multi-touch Windows gestures. Intelligent palm-rejection technology automatically recognises and rejects palm presses so that users can type freely even if their palms are resting on the touchpad.  

An optional feature on all the new models is the fingerprint scanner that can be used for biometric security. Located conveniently at the top right corner of the touchpad, it allows users to lock or unlock ZenBook Flip instantly with just a touch, and also supports authentication for third-party apps.      

AVAILABILITY & PRICING

The ASUS ZenBook Flip UX506UA series is currently available from Independent Retail Stores with a RSP of R16 999. The ASUS ZenBook Flip UX360UA’s availability and price is to be confirmed in 2017. Please contact your local ASUS representative for further information.  

ABOUT ASUS

ASUS is a worldwide top-three consumer notebook vendor and maker of the world’s best-selling, most award-winning motherboards. A leading enterprise in the new digital era, ASUS designs and manufactures products that perfectly meet the needs of today’s digital home and office, with a broad portfolio that includes motherboards, graphics cards, optical drives, displays, desktop and all-in-one PCs, notebooks, netbooks, servers, multimedia devices, wireless solutions, networking devices, tablets and smartphones. Driven by innovation and committed to quality, ASUS won 4,368 awards in 2015 and is widely credited with revolutionizing the PC industry with its Eee PC™. ASUS has more than 17,000 employees around the globe with a world-class R&D team of over 5,500 engineers. Company revenue for 2015 was approximately US$14 billion.  

SPECIFICATIONS [1]   

ZenBook Flip UX360UA ZenBook Flip UX560 Series CPU 6th-generation Intel® Core™ i7 6500U / i5 6200U

Display 13.3in (16:9) LED-backlit QHD+ (3200 x 1800), 276ppi, 350cd/m2 brightness, 100% sRGB and 72% NTSC gamut 15.6in (16:9) LED-backlit 4K UHD (3840 x 2160), 282ppi, 350cd/m2 brightness, 100% sRGB and 72% NTSC gamut

Operating System Windows 10 Pro / Windows 10 Home

Integrated Graphics UX360UA and UX560UA: Integrated Intel® HD Graphics 520

Discrete Graphics N/A

UX560UQ: NVIDIA® GeForce® 940MX

UX560UX: NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 950 with 2GB VRAM

Memory Up to 16GB LPDDR3 1866MHz

Storage 512GB SATA-3 SSD Connectivity 802.11ac Wi-Fi / Bluetooth® 4.1

Camera HD Webcam

Interface 1 x USB 3.0 Type-C 2 x USB 3.0 Type-A 1 x full-size HDMI 1 x Combo audio jack 1 x SD Card reader 1 x USB 3.0 Type-C 3 x USB 3.0 Type-A 1 x full-size HDMI 1 x Combo audio jack 1 x SD Card reader

Audio 2 x stereo speakers with ASUS SonicMaster / Harman Kardon audio system

Security Optional touchpad-mounted fingerprint reader

Battery 57Whrs Lithium-polymer 52W Lithium-polymer battery

AC adapter Output: 19V, 45W / Input: 100V-240V AC, 50Hz/60Hz (Universal)

Dimensions 321.6 x 229.1 x 13.9 mm UX560UA: 380 x 254 x 19.85mm UX560UQ/UX: 380 x 254 x 21.8mm

Weight 1.3kg UX560UA: 2.1kg UX560 UQ/UX: 2.3kg

[1] Specifications, content and product availability are all subject to change without notice and may differ from country to country. Actual performance may vary depending on applications, usage, environment and other factors. Full specifications are available at http://www.asus.com

NOTES TO EDITORS

ASUS Global Press Room: http://press.asus.com ASUS

South Africa Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ASUSza

ASUS South Africa Twitter: https://twitter.com/ASUS_za

20-Sep-2016 – Zealous System, Private ltd., an India-based software-services and consulting company is excited to announce its South African presence via its new marketing and sales office at Johannesburg.

The Johannesburg office will serve as Zealous’ African base for its marketing and client service operations. The office will enable the clients in the African time zone to have better visibility to their projects during normal business hours and provide rapid service via e-mail or call – No more waiting for long hours for answers to questions from the India Development Centre. Zealous’ Managing Director, Mr Pranjal Mehta states that African companies seeking software services and solutions in the application, mobile and design space can directly reach Zealous through the Johannesburg office. “If a project requires active involvement from the development team, we are willing to provide on-site consultants based on client request” he says.

“Our main objective behind the South African office is to enable the SME market to receive development assistance effortlessly and timeously”, says Grant Vine, Managing Director at Cybervine IT Solutions (Zealous’ partner firm in SA). The clients in Africa will now have an added advantage of time-zone specific work hours facilitating stream-lined interaction with the development team in charge of the respective project.

With presence across Europe (2014) and Australia (2012), Zealous System will now be actively focusing on the African market.

ABOUT ZEALOUS SYSTEMS

Established in 2008, Zealous System is a global leader in Custom Enterprise Development and Legacy Systems, and a trusted service provider for many Government and Key Government Bodies. Zealous provides bespoke solutions and services, scalable architecture and develops technology-driven strategies for emerging and evolving businesses across industries. As an agile technology solution leader, Zealous optimizes & enhances technology solutions that deliver measurable business benefits to its customers.

Its value proposition lies within its strategic thinking and dynamic team. Zealous harnesses its industry expertise, market know-how and technical expertise to deliver exceptional results.

Zealous’ complete spectrum of software and consulting services include:

• IT Strategy & Architecture
• Application Development/Maintenance
• Mobile Application Development
• Business Intelligence & Data Warehousing
• Business Process Management (BPM)
• Cloud Computing
• QA Services

Company Website: http://www.zealousys.com

Mainstream 14in and 15in laptops powered by up to 6th-gen Intel Core processors, with exclusive ASUS SonicMaster technology for immersive audio and powerful bass.  

KEY POINTS

• 3W transmission-line speakers with 24cc audio chambers deliver higher volumes and a wider frequency range for deeper bass and distinct vocals
• Ergonomically-designed chiclet keyboard with 2.3mm key travel and a large touchpad with palm-rejection technology for a better input experience
• Lightweight, portable design available in five expressive colours: Silver Gradient, Chocolate Brown, Red, White, and Aqua Blue

Johannesburg, South Africa (11 July 2016) — ASUS has announced the VivoBook Series, mainstream 14- and 15-inch laptops designed for immersive entertainment and daily productivity. VivoBook Series laptops are powered by up to 6th-generation Intel® Core™ processors, and feature up to discrete NVIDIA® GeForce® graphics and 16GB RAM. These laptops have ASUS SonicMaster-enhanced 3W transmission-line speakers with 24cc audio chambers for truly powerful audio delivery, an ergonomic keyboard with 2.3mm key travel, and a large touchpad with palm-rejection technology. These lightweight, portable laptops are available in Silver Gradient, Chocolate Brown, Red, White, and Aqua Blue.

Designed for an immersive multimedia experience

ASUS VivoBook Series laptops are mainstream models designed to give users a high-end multimedia experience. The ASUS SonicMaster-enhanced 3W transmission-line speakers with 24cc audio chambers deliver rich deep bass and immersive audio, while ASUS AudioWizard provides five pre-set audio modes for different kinds of content.

ASUS Tru2Life video technology optimizes the contrast and sharpness of every pixel in every video frame for incredibly realistic visuals with rich detail. ASUS Splendid features four modes (Normal, Eye Care, Vivid, and Manual) to cater to users’ requirements, and optimizes visuals for richer and deeper colours. Normal mode is ideal for daily computing tasks. Eye Care mode reduces blue light by up to 33% to protect users’ eyes. Vivid mode enhances image colour, contrast and sharpness for livelier visuals, and Manual mode lets users adjust and save their preferred colour temperature settings.

Accurate, intuitive input and navigation

ASUS VivoBook X Series laptops feature a seamless one-piece chiclet keyboard with 2.3mm of key travel — the same as higher-end or gaming-grade laptops — for no key float and a more responsive typing feel. Accurate and intuitive navigation is ensured by the large touchpad, which supports ASUS Precise Touch Pad (PTP) multi-touch gestures so users can pinch-zoom in and out, or scroll and swipe pages easily. The touchpad also has intelligent palm-rejection technology that automatically recognises and rejects accidental palm presses.

Everyday computing with a stylish, portable design

Designed for everyday productivity and entertainment, ASUS VivoBook Series laptops are powered by up to a 6th-generation Intel Core i7 processor, and feature up to discrete NVIDIA® GeForce® 920M graphics with 16GB DDR4 RAM and a 256GB solid-state drive (SSD). ASUS-exclusive SuperBatt technology gives VivoBook Series laptops three times (3X) the battery life cycle of conventional laptop batteries.

The 15-inch ASUS VivoBook X541 measures 321.4 by 251 by 27.6mm and weighs no more than 1.9kg. VivoBook Series laptops come in a variety of finishes and expressive colours — glossy White or Aqua Blue, or a brushed metallic finish in Silver Gradient, Chocolate Brown, or Red. 

AVAILABILITY & PRICING

ASUS X541 will be available from Quarter 4 in South Africa from all retailers (Makro and Incredible Connection will carry stock from 2017). Contact your local ASUS representative for further information. 

ABOUT ASUS

ASUS is a worldwide top-three consumer notebook vendor and maker of the world’s best-selling, most award-winning motherboards. A leading enterprise in the new digital era, ASUS designs and manufactures products that perfectly meet the needs of today’s digital home and office, with a broad portfolio that includes motherboards, graphics cards, optical drives, displays, desktop and all-in-one PCs, notebooks, netbooks, servers, multimedia devices, wireless solutions, networking devices, tablets and smartphones. Driven by innovation and committed to quality, ASUS won 4,368 awards in 2015 and is widely credited with revolutionizing the PC industry with its Eee PC™. ASUS has more than 17,000 employees around the globe with a world-class R&D team of over 5,500 engineers. Company revenue for 2015 was approximately US$14 billion.

SPECIFICATIONS [1]

ASUS VivoBook X541 Processor For X541UA/UV: Intel® Core™ ‘Skylake’ i3-6100U/ i5-6200U/ i7-6500U For X541SA/SC: Intel ‘Braswell’ N3710/N3160/N3060

Operating system Windows 10

Display For X541: 15.6-inch LED backlit FHD LCD (1920x1080 / 16:9) 15.6-inch LED backlit HD LCD (1366 x 768 / 16:9) 15.6-inch LED backlit HD touchscreen LCD (1366x 768 / 16:9)

Memory For X541UA/UV: DDR4 2133MHz, up to 16GB For X541SA/SC: DDR3L 1600MHz, up to 8GB

Graphics For X541UA/UV: NVIDIA® GeForce® 920MX / Intel® HD Graphics For X541SA: Intel® HD Graphics For X541SC: NVIDIA® GeForce® 810M

Storage For X541: 500GB / 1TB / 2TB HDD, 128GB/256GB SSD

Optical disc drive 8.9mm SATA optical disc drive / dummy optical drive

Card reader SD / SDHC / SDXC

Connectivity 802.11b/g/n 10/100Mbps Ethernet Bluetooth® 4.0

Camera VGA camera

Keyboard and touchpad Seamless one-piece chiclet keyboard Large touchpad with ASUS Smart Gesture technology

Interface 1 x USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-C 2 x USB 3.0 (for X441); 1 x USB 3.0 (for X541) 1 x HDMI port 1 x combo audio jack 1 x VGA port 1 x LAN RJ45 jack

Audio 3W high-quality speakers

Battery and AC adapter 36Wh cylinder battery Output: 19V, 45W Input: 100V-240V AC, 50Hz/60Hz

Colours Silver Gradient, Chocolate Brown, White, Red, and Aqua Blue

Size For X541: 321.4 x 251. 5 x 27.6mm

Weight For X541: 1.9kg Specifications, content and product availability are all subject to change without notice and may differ from country to country. Actual performance may vary depending on applications, usage, environment and other factors.

Full specifications are available at http://www.asus.com

[1] Specifications, content and product availability are all subject to change without notice and may differ from country to country. Actual performance may vary depending on applications, usage, environment and other factors. Full specifications are available at http://www.asus.com

NOTES TO EDITORS

ASUS Global Press Room: http://press.asus.com

ASUS South Africa Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ASUSza

ASUS South Africa Twitter: https://twitter.com/ASUS_za

African cities to connect with developers, investors and planners

The CEO of Wesgro, Tim Harris, the Executive Director of Kampala’s Capital City Authority, Dr Jennifer Musisi, the UCLG-A Secretary General, Jean Pierre Elong Mbassi, and Business Botswana Director Lekwalo Mosienyane are heading up an exciting line-up of headline experts from around Africa that will address the African Real Estate & Infrastructure Summit in Cape Town from 2-3 November 2016.

*UCLG-A: United Cities and Local Governments of Africa

The African Real Estate & Infrastructure Summit will gather the full spectrum of the continent’s real estate sector and will assist African cities and governments to secure international investment for commercial real estate development and infrastructure projects that will contribute to Urban Development Plans (UDPs).

Summit programme highlights include:

• Opening keynote: “Developing the Future of African Cities”
Africa’s population of roughly 1.1 billion is expected to double by 2050.

Keynote speakers :  
Jean Pierre Elong Mbassi, Secretary General UCLG-A, Morocco
Nana Kwame Bediako, President, Founder & CEO, Petronia, Ghana*
Lekwalo Mosienyane, Director, Mosienyane and Partners Int. & President, Business Botswana, Botswana

• “Future Cities revealed – Urban Development Plans”
Some of the continent’s leading cities, including Lusaka, Kigali, Dar es Salaam and Nairobi, have been invited to showcase their UDPs in a discussion format. This will allow for delegates and exhibitors to understand the future plans of developing cities and build business relationships with key city officials including: city managers, city mayors, city council members, town planners, town clerks, district officials and city and finance directors amongst others.

• Africa’s finest: A review of successful city development projects

- Building a new face for Kampala
– A case study of how good governance, improved city revenue collection and service delivery are transforming Kampala into a vibrant, attractive and sustainable city. Speaker: Dr Jennifer Musisi, Executive Director, Kampala, Capital City Authority, Uganda

- Kigali developments
– A case study on master planning work in Kigali for a significant new residential/mixed use development
Speaker: Guy Briggs, Director/ Head of Urban Design, dhk, South Africa

- What makes an $800-billion project in Africa: Modernising Luanda – the international award winning General Master Plan for Luanda City (2030 Luanda Plan) outlines the sustainable transformation and development plans. How intelligent city planning can bring about real improvements in the lives of Angolan citizens.
Speakers:  
Eng. Neusa Ingles, Project Manager, Urbinveste, Angola
Phil Bonds, Director of Urban Design, Broadway Malyan, United Kingdom
Eng. Jose Miranda, Regional Director Africa, Aurecon, South Africa

• “The Western Cape:  The new  hub for local and international investment”
Cape Town is fast becoming a destination of choice for foreign investors looking to expand their operations in Africa. How the market is shaping towards international investment and which opportunities are available.
Speaker: Tim Harris, CEO, Wesgro, South Africa

• “Making African cities of tomorrow inclusive”
More than half the world’s population now live in cities, and this proportion will continue to increase rapidly to reach 70% by 2050. How cities are created that are inclusive of all those who live in them through their design, layout, technological innovations and social impact.

Speakers:     
- Albert Smuts, Director, Fieldworks Design Group, South Africa
- Mokena Makeka, Founder & Principal, Makeka Design Lab, South Africa  
- Kecia Rust, Director & Founder, Centre for Affordable Housing Finance in Africa / Secretariat to the African Union for Housing Finance, UN Habitat, South Africa
- Vanessa Watson, Professor of City and Regional Planning, School of Architecture, Planning and Geomatics, University of Cape Town, South Africa
- Amine Turki, Secretary General, Africa Union of Architects, Tunisia
- Moderated by: Tim Harris, CEO, Wesgro

The African Real Estate & Infrastructure Summit is organised by Spintelligent, leading Cape Town-based trade exhibition and conference organiser, and the African office of Clarion Events Ltd, based in the UK. Spintelligent is well known for organising exhibitions and conferences across the continent in the infrastructure, energy, mining, agriculture and education sectors. Longstanding flagship events by Spintelligent include African Utility Week, East African Power Industry Convention (EAPIC), West African Power Industry Convention (WAPIC), Agritech Expo, DRC Mining Week and EduWeek.

UCLG Africa
The UCLG Africa is the patron of the upcoming African Real Estate & Infrastructure Summit in Cape Town. The UCLG AFRICA is the umbrella organisation and the united voice and representative of local government in Africa. It is an institution that gathers 40 national associations of local governments from all regions of Africa as well as the 2000 cities that have more than 100.000 inhabitants. Therefore UCLG AFRICA represents nearly 350 million Africans citizens.

Dates for African Real Estate & Infrastructure Summit 2016:
Showcase and conference: 2-3 November 2016
Location: CTICC, Cape Town, South Africa

Website: http://www.african-real-estate-summit.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ARES_Summit
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8518271

Media contact:
Senior communications manager:  Annemarie Roodbol
Telephone:  +27 21 700 3558
Mobile:  +27 82 562 7844
Email:  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Stylish and compact all-metal detachable 2-in-1 laptop features a reversible hinge for added versatility.  

KEY POINTS  

• Durable and stylish: Features a durable aluminium construction in three vibrant colours, with honeycomb-inspired patterning on the keyboard surround
• Versatile reversible hinge: New reversible magnetic hinge enables four convenient modes — laptop, tablet, tent and stand
• Ultraportable and compact: Tablet weighs only 580g, or just 1.08kg with the keyboard attached
• Bright, sharp and clear display: High-resolution anti-glare display with up to 400cd/m2 brightness and wide 178° viewing angles  

Johannesburg, South Africa - ASUS has announced Transformer Book T101, the latest addition to its successful series of 2-in-1 detachable laptops. The 10.1-inch Transformer Book T101 has a premium metallic design and is light and compact, weighing only 580g as a tablet or just 1.08kg with the keyboard attached. It features a reversible magnetic hinge that allows its display to be flipped over, giving the convenience of four versatile modes: a conventional lightweight laptop, a handy tablet, tent mode for easy screen-sharing, and stand mode as a personal movie theatre. With its incredibly long up to 11-hour battery life, dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi, full-size USB port, and complete Windows 10 functionality, Transformer Book T101 is the ideal mobile companion.  

Durable and stylish

ASUS Transformer Book T101 is stylish and elegant, with a premium all-aluminium tablet and a keyboard surround that features a chic honeycomb-inspired textured pattern. The aluminium construction not only looks great, but it makes Transformer Book T101 more durable and resistant to everyday knocks and bumps than rival products with a cheaper plastic construction. Lightweight aluminium also allows Transformer Book T101’s tablet to be very slim and light at only 580g, making it ideal as a mobile lifestyle companion. The device is available in three vibrant colours: Rose Gold, Mint Green and Glacier Gray.  

Versatile reversible hinge

ASUS Transformer Book T101 features a reversible magnetic hinge connecting the tablet and keyboard. This solidly-engineered hinge allows the tablet to be detached, flipped over and reattached, giving two convenient extra modes in addition to the standard laptop and tablet configurations. Tent mode is great for sharing the screen contents with a group of people, while stand mode turns Transformer Book T101 into a compact personal movie theatre.  

Powerful, precisely positioned magnets ensure that the tablet can be attached quickly and accurately with minimal effort. To ensure long-term reliability, the reversible hinge has been rigorously tested with a 25,000-cycle mechanical hinge-swing test. The slim keyboard has ergonomic keys with a 1.5mm key travel— longer than that of most mobile keyboards, and the same as a full-size laptop. This long key travel provides more reassuring feedback for every key strike and replicates the comfortable typing experience of a full-size laptop. The keyboard also features a Precision Touchpad with support for Windows gestures. This touchpad has palm-rejection technology that intelligently recognizes and ignores accidental presses of the palm during typing, allowing users to rest their hands naturally and comfortably while typing.  

Clear, sharp and bright display

The anti-glare touchscreen display on ASUS Transformer Book T101 has a sharp 1280 by 800 resolution, and with up to 400cd/m2 brightness it is one of the brightest 10.1-inch displays. It has wide 178° viewing angles, and ASUS TruVivid direct-bonding technology ensures higher transparency and improved clarity, with fewer reflections in bright environments — even in bright sunlight. Exclusive ASUS Tru2Life video-enhancement technology — similar to that found in high-end TVs — uses intelligent software algorithms to optimise the sharpness and contrast of every video frame, so that videos look clearer, more detailed and more realistic.  

Powerful components

Inside its compact chassis ASUS Transformer Book T101 packs powerful components that include the latest quad-core Intel® Atom™ X5 Series (‘Cherry Trail’) processor, up to 4GB of RAM, up to 128GB eMMC storage, a micro SD Card reader that can support up to 512GB cards, and fast dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi. These components operate in complete silence thanks to Transformer Book T101’s fan-less design, allowing users to work or play without distracting noises. It also comes with a more comprehensive set of connectors than other similar-sized devices. These include a full-size (Type-A ) USB 2.0 port, a micro HDMI display port, and a micro USB port that can also be used for charging the device. The micro USB port also supports charging from external power banks, enabling users to extend the already impressive up to 11-hour battery life even further, for true all-day convenience.  

A one-year unlimited subscription to ASUS WebStorage is included with Transformer Book T101, allowing users to store and access their files from all their devices, anywhere and anytime.  

An amazing Windows experience

ASUS Transformer Book T101 supports Cortana, the innovative Windows personal assistant that allows natural interaction via its powerful voice-recognition technology. Transformer Book T101 also supports Windows 10 Continuum, which automatically detects if the keyboard is attached and reconfigures itself for the ideal user experience as a laptop or tablet. Transformer Book T101 also comes with Microsoft Office Mobile pre-installed, giving users immediate access to the powerful Word Mobile, Excel Mobile, PowerPoint Mobile and OneNote apps.   

AVAILABILITY & PRICING

ASUS Transformer Book T101 will be available from November in South Africa from Channel Distributors. Please contact your local ASUS representative for further information.  

SPECIFICATIONS

ASUS Transformer Book T101HA      

• CPU Quad-core Intel® Atom™ X5-Z8350 (‘Cherry Trail’)  
• Display  10.1in HD (1280x800) touchscreen, wide 178° viewing angles, 400cd/m2 brightness  
• Operating system  Microsoft Windows 10 Home / Pro 64-bit  
• Graphics  Integrated Intel® HD Graphics  
• Main memory  Up to 4GB  
• Storage  128GB eMMC  
• Connectivity  Dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi  Bluetooth® 4.1  
• Camera  2MP front camera  
• Interface  1 x USB 2.0 Type-A  1 x micro HDMI port  1 x micro USB 2.0 (for charging and data)  1 x microSD card reader (up to 512GB)  1 x Combo audio jack  
• Audio  Dual side-firing stereo speakers with ASUS SonicMaster   technology  
• Battery  32Wh Lithium-polymer  
• AC adapter  Output: 5V DC, 10W  Input: 100 -240 V AC, 50/60 Hz universal  
• Dimensions 261 x 175 x 9mm (tablet) 261 x 175 x 10mm (keyboard)  
• Weight  580g (tablet)  1.08kg (tablet with keyboard)  
• Colours  Rose Gold, Mint Green, Quartz Gray  

ABOUT ASUS

ASUS is a worldwide top-three consumer notebook vendor and maker of the world’s best-selling, most award-winning motherboards. A leading enterprise in the new digital era, ASUS designs and manufactures products that perfectly meet the needs of today’s digital home and office, with a broad portfolio that includes motherboards, graphics cards, optical drives, displays, desktop and all-in-one PCs, notebooks, netbooks, servers, multimedia devices, wireless solutions, networking devices, tablets and smartphones. Driven by innovation and committed to quality, ASUS won 4,368 awards in 2015 and is widely credited with revolutionizing the PC industry with its Eee PC™. ASUS has more than 17,000 employees around the globe with a world-class R&D team of over 5,500 engineers. Company revenue for 2015 was approximately US$14 billion.  

NOTES TO EDITORS

ASUS Global Press Room: http://press.asus.com

ASUS South Africa Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ASUSza

ASUS South Africa Twitter: https://twitter.com/ASUS_za

[1] Specifications, content and product availability are all subject to change without notice and may differ from country to country. Actual performance may vary depending on applications, usage, environment and other factors. Full specifications are available at http://www.ASUS.com Specifications, content and product availability are all subject to change without notice and may differ from country to country. Actual performance may vary depending on applications, usage, environment and other factors. Full specifications are available at http://www.ASUS.com  

New e-Book Launch – Long Walk For Nothing by Dominic L Miller

One British man’s extraordinary 765km walk across South Africa in an ostrich costume

Following the release of the humorous new e-book, Long Walk for Nothing (click for Kindle page), Dominic L Miller will be in South Africa for promotional purposes from 17th to 24th September 2016 and available for interview during this time. As well as detailing his experience from start to finish, central to this unique story are the numerous acts of kindness by normal everyday South Africans. The book rightly acknowledges each and every one. The S.A.P.S in particular, contrary to continual headlines regarding brutality and corruption, were more than agreeable in providing lifts to a British fancy-dress fundraiser.

The walk generated continued press coverage throughout, featuring on e.TV national news (click for footage), four appearances on 567 Cape Talk radio station (click for press coverage page) in addition to national and regional newspapers. You have probably read Nelson Mandela’s Long Walk To Freedom. Now you can read about Dominic L Miller’s 765km Long Walk For Nothing from Port Elizabeth to Cape Town in South Africa. That’s 18 marathons in 35 painfully unsupported days while wearing an ostrich costume.

This feel-good story about South Africa has initially been published in e-book format before offering a Print-On-Demand option in the near future. Dominic L Miller lived for a total of nine years in South Africa, so his book paints a positive and accurate picture of modern day South Africa. The reviews the book has received to date attest to this.

Complimentary copies furnished upon request

***

Mr Dominic L Miller - Website: https://www.dominiclmiller.com - Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Phone: +31 (0)644329803