Light Start – Model X, a V10 LG, LTE in a watch, minipigs for sale and SA makes top 50
Brett Venter
Tesla goes big and then home with the Model X SUV
Up for pre-order now and recently unveiled by Elon Musk himself, the Model X is the Tesla that we’ve always wanted. Though we’d settle for anything at this point. Elon? Elon, can you send a few this way? Ahem… anyway. The Model X is set to be big, with enough space for a driver and six passengers, as well as bags and things – it’s a family car for large families. The Model X will land later this year with falcon wing doors that need around 30cm of clearance to open up (no scratching that Merc next to you), it’ll be powered by a 90kW battery and have a range of 400km on a charge. Oh, and it should hit 0-100km/h in about 3.2 seconds. One word – Want!
We may have given the impression that LG was getting into making cars in the headline there. Sorry about that. But they have announced a V10, a premium-bodied smartphone that drops their usual high-quality plastic for silicon and stainless steel. They’ve decided to stick to the LG G4 formula when it comes to the internals, with everything from the processor to the camera being identical. They’ve given RAM a boost, though. The impressive bit? A second, always-on screen which lives on top of the main display and gives off all manner of needed info – a bit like the Samsung Edge’s er… edge. Launch date? Soon. Where? Er… LG hasn’t said yet.
The LG Watch Urbane gets unusual features – calling and LTE
LG’s Watch Urbane is already a pretty slick device but the company have made a new announcement – there’s another version on the way for the Android Wear fanatic so hopefully you didn’t get the first model. The updates Watch Urbane is going to be shipping with the ability to make and receive calls, via a cellular radio that will also be conferring upon the wearable the might of LTE connectivity. Having a wearable that works fully away from a cellphone is a great idea, now we just have to wait for pricing and availability. In the meantime, watch the promo video filled with beautiful people.
Micropiglets have invaded your dungeon retail store
You have no idea how long we’ve been waiting to use the headline above. Ever since Dungeon Keeper 2 was released, if you want some specifics. But yes, if you ever wanted a genetically modified pet then today is your lucky day because a Chinese genetics company, BGI, have created micropigs. They’ve done this through the magic of gene editing to turn an already small breed of pig, known as a Bama, even smaller. How small? About 15kg when mature, which is a lot smaller than some of those pot-bellied pigs we’ve seen being kept as pets. And they’ve put them up for sale, because why not. Though there are still some issues with having a micropig, namely that their behaviour isn’t altered with their size – so they will still need a lot of (outdoor) space or they will wreck your stuff.
South Africa is in the Top 50 in the WEF competitiveness rankings (again)
South Africa has re-entered the World Economic Forums’ competitiveness rankings, climbing upwards by several places to come in at number 49 in the WEF’s Top 50. This is according to the Global Competitiveness Report 2015-2016, which was recently released. Why is this relevant to us? Because of how South African managed its ascent. The ‘how’ is fairly reassuring, as we’ve popped into the WEF’s competitiveness rankings thanks to “increased uptake of ICTs, especially higher Internet bandwidth.” And if there’s one thing we’re fond of, it’s more internet, so let’s hope this trend continues.
