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From VOA Learning English, |
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this is the Technology Report. |
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Getting a taxi ride in New York city |
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is as easy as standing along a street |
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and raising your hand high in the air. |
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In Johannesburg, |
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getting a taxi ride just got even easier, |
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thanks to a new software application. |
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SnappCab lets users call a taxi |
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simple by touching the screen of their smartphone. |
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Anton van Metzinger is the managing director of SnappCab. |
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He and two partners launched their smartphone app in September. |
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He explains how it works. |
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"You open the app. |
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And you literally with two clicks of a button |
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you can order a cab. |
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Using your GPS, you click the button, |
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you electronically hail the cab, |
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it connects you to the closest cabs in the area. |
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So I get the cab driver's name, |
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I get the cab driver's company ID he or she works for, |
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their vehicle registration details and the vehicle description. |
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So I know, as the passenger |
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I know exactly which cab is coming to me |
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and I can now track it on my smartphone," said van Metzinger. |
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When the vehicle arrives, |
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the app sends a message to the passenger. |
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When the ride is done, |
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He or she can either pay the driver directly, |
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or pay using the smartphone. |
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"We've been in the market only for about a month now |
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and we already see that the credit card payment option is very popular, |
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in fact more popular than we expected initially... |
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People are getting used to the idea of online shopping, |
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they're getting used to the idea of mobile. |
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We predict that a year down the line, |
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the majority of our transactions will be by credit card," said van Metzinger. |
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But critics say the move to financial transaction |
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through mobile apps has been slow. |
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Arthur Goldstuck is managing director of World Wide Worx, |
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he also marks as a writer who specializes in South African technology. |
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He says many South Africans are not get ready |
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to make online purchases by telephone. |
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He says they lack trust in the technology. |
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"There's a phenomenon in this country and probably across Africa, |
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that we call the digital participation curve. |
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And it shows that the average Internet user |
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needs to have been online for five years or more |
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before they're ready to start transacting online," said Goldstuck. |
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But there have been success stories. |
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An app called Powertime was launched in 2009, |
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it sells pre-paid, or pay-as-you-go electricity. |
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Before Powertime, power users would have to |
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go to a fueling station or store to buy pre-paid electricity. |
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"What I find that is working in South Africa, |
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is if you build an app that is relevant to the country |
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because it solves a local problem. |
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Kind of a local app for a local problem. |
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And I think that was part of the success of Powertime. |
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It was a very, very significant issue in South Africa |
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to buy pre-paid electricity,"said Lacour. |
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With the group of dependable customers, |
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Powertime has now moved into paying for other services, |
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like water bills and airtime for mobile phones. |
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There are an estimated 14.7 million smartphones registered |
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with South African telecom networks. |
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That number is sure to grow |
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as local smartphone prices drop below $100 |
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and as South African technology companies |
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began launching smartphones of their own. |
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And that is the Technology Report from VOA Special English. |
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I'm June Simms. |