Hacking IT: Have 2 Have
February 24, 2006

   By Ronnie Apteker

We all love gadgets and cool high-tech stuff. You can't pick up a magazine that features the "top 10 must have gadgets of the year" without reading every word of the article. I don't know what it is about gadgets that draws us too them but I do know that we will never get enough when it comes to having the latest and greatest of what's cool.

This is where the Internet has maintained a compelling position - we all dig sending emails to our mates with links that take us to the latest toys and high-tech gadgets. We love looking at the pictures, browsing through the specs, and we love filling up our online shopping baskets.

From the latest TV games, to laser pointers, to collector's edition DVDs, to wireless gizmos, to Star Wars paraphernalia, to funky T-shirts, to cellphone applications, you name it - the Internet is the place to shop when it comes to the cutting edge of cool.

Don't you love checking out all funky stuff on eBay. And don't you hate the fact that most of that stuff is so far away that the shipping costs make your fantasy prohibitive.

The other day I found this way out Atari computer game cartridge for my old 800XL Atari PC - the price seemed too good to be true - the shipping cost seemed like a nightmare.

But eBay isn't the only place where one can explore cool stuff. There are lots of sites out there that feature the best of the best. Amazon.com is a great place to shop, and so is www.jandr.com and www.thinkgeek.com. Then there are also the online hotspots that make your head spin, like www.stuffmagazine.com and us.gizmodo.com

Where am I going with all of this? Right here, to our good 'ol South Africa. Yes, look no further. The stuff you have to have you can get on www.have2have.co.za. And then, when you're still hungry then click on over to www.digitalplanet.co.za - we have some cool spots right here in our backyard, and the shipping costs are a non event. Also, you got to check out www.thegadgetshop.co.za - way cool!

One thing you may have gathered (well, you probably knew this already) is that online shopping is on the up and up. The consumer population of the UK, for example, according to a new Reuters report, rose by 25% during 2005 - one in four consumers now shop on the Web in England. And listen to this, online spend rose 28.9% in the UK during 2005. This is mind boggling. The opportunities here are overwhelming. The smart money is on the Net - if you're looking for high growth opportuities then online is the place to be.

Our local Internet stores are really well put together. I am constantly amazed at what is going on in our own backyard. I keep hearing of more and more innovative ventures popping up in the local virtual market and I am all for it. I hate it when I read a notice on Amazon telling me that they don't ship that particular product to South Africa - God only knows why.

Then, some sites, like the iTunes shop, don't accept South African credit cards. It was starting to freak me out until I discovered our homegrown offerings. You know what? Local is lekker.

·  Ronnie Apteker is one of the founders of Internet Solutions, the country's largest corporate internet service provider. He is also a movie producer, an author of two books and sometimes a stand up comedian.

Article: http://www.busrep.co.za/index.php?fArticleId=3129601