So here's a recap of a pretty eventful week:

Firstly, let me give a quick synopsis of the best mobile phone deals I've got going:

HTC Snap going for a steal @ R135pm on Vodacom Family Top Up

The Snap is under-rated and HTC has gotten a bad rep from some intial handset woes. This phone has a steel casing and excellent QWERTY keyboard. If you're a Windows fan on a budget, look no further.

Ad link: http://www.mercuryads.co.za/index.php/component/adsmanager/?page=show_ad&adid=506&catid=23 

Samsung Star @ R59pm on MTN AnyTime 100 

I've taken a look at this phone and played around on the resistive touch screen. Now, understand that phones like the iPhone use a capacitive screen which is very expensive. Yet, Samsung have used the resistive screen to cut costs and it still feels impressively responsive and fluid. It also makes use of a Facebook application, and an array of useful widgets which mimic the applications of iPhones, Blackberries and Android phones. Even though Samsung are lazily being copycats, following the trends of higher-end phones and making those features cheaper, they have made a real gem here. The Star stands alone as a market leader in the cheap touch-screen market.

Ad link: http://www.mercuryads.co.za/index.php/component/adsmanager/?page=show_ad&adid=508&catid=23

I'll be touching on some even better deals next week ('scuse the pun).

NEWS:

Paypal hits SA

Well, well, well. Web designers have been waiting for this for ages. The widely used PayPal has hit SA. This means that we can send and receive money from all over the world, and also make use of their payment gateway system. 

My gripe is that FNB are wacking on an extra 1.5% to your top up and withdrawal transactions with them. This doesn't sound like much, but bare in mind that they'll be getting a large amount of new accounts due to this and they'll be increasing their bank charges revenue by a fair amount thanks to their PayPal deal. So why be gready and make it more expensive?

Lastly, look out for lots of new online stores. The great thing about Paypal is that there are no monthly charges. So small business can start online without any overhead costs. This makes it easier for all and, in my view, is a real boost to the SA e-commerce industry.

Here's to one giant leap for web-kind.

Broadband price wars in SA start picking up speed

Are you looking for ADSL or 3G? Well, wait! The fun started when MWEB started an ad campaign advertising uncapped ADSL, which many other providers were already offering, which in turn sparked a "gentle" debate.

But the kicker for me is MTN's latest 3G out-of-bundle rates. These are said to be reaching up to 84% drops in pricing! People were saying how it was just the ADSL market that would drop but there are things going on behind the scenes that we don't know about. Generally a huge price drop means new technology is imminent which can replace the revenue for the premium pricing on 3G data. We do know that CellC are planning something big, but maybe MTN have pulled an "Apple" on us and hidden what they're up to behind the scenes? Whatever it is, MTN wouldn't just randomly drop their data revenue by 84%...

Have a great weekend and go buy some technology!