TechSmart 121, October 2013 TechSmart 123, December 2013 | Page 3

FROM THE EDITOR Published by: The Battle for the E very mid-November it’s time for our team to quarrel about the best products of the year. The result is our December issue, which is jam-packed with Top 5s, including the best tablets, smartphones, games and tech news of the year. I hope you agree with some of our choices, but I’m also looking forward to those asking us “What were you smoking?” when we ranked the LG G2 higher than the Samsung S4. Tel: [phone]nd Floor, Block C, Menlyn Woods Office Park, 291 Sprite Avenue, Faerie Glen, PTA www.smartpublishing.co.za My years in tech have started to blend together and the news stories and products are getting muddled up. Two things during the year stand out though. During September I lost a few weeks due to the fact that I managed to subscribe to Netflix. $8 a month means I have a quick and easy way to stream movies and series when I want, although these days my selection has stagnated on Family Guy. I’m seeing and hearing from more and more people locally who do this, which can only mean trouble for the already ailing DVD rental shops, and maybe down the line, pay-TV subscription (although its sport offerings remain unbeaten). On a more serious note, the revelations of Edward Snowden regarding the National Security Agency’s massive online surveillance have left me shaken. The father of the internet, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, said it best when he commented: “Unwarranted government surveillance is an intrusion on basic human rights that threatens the very foundations of a democratic society.” This is of course true, pointing to the fact that, as others have said, some people in power read 1984 as an instruction manual, not as a warning. Live long and prosper, Mike ([email protected]) December 2013 | TechSmart PUBLISHING INFO Copyright © 2013. All rights reserved. No material, text or photographs may be reproduced, copied or in any other way transmitted without the written consent of the publisher. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the publisher or of the editor. We recognise all trademarks and logos as the sole property of their respective owners. TechSmart shall not be liable for any errors or for any actions in reliance thereon. All prices were correct at time of going to print. Editor print & online Mike Joubert [email protected] Advertising Agencies: Karien Steenkamp > 083-748-3413; [email protected] Directory: Predeshan Reddy > 079-515-8708; [email protected] Staff Writers Ryan Noik [RN], Hanleigh Daniels [HD], Mike Joubert [MJ] Contributors Stephen Aspeling, Deep Fried Man, Linda Pretorius, Moray Rhoda, Pippa Tshabalala, Mynhardt van Pletsen, Johan Keyter 39 626 average copies per month Consumer: Male [July – September 2013] TechSmart uses BluWave CRM. Cover photo Basil Koufos > 082-439-2022 Designers Lizelle Cronjé, Annemart Swanepoel Smart Publishing General manager: Anneke Claassen [email protected] Business manager: George Grobler [email protected] 01