Jack Dorsey’s ‘diVine’ puts human-made slop first
It’s been more than seven years since Vine shut down, but not before it helped pave the way for the likes of TikTok and Instagram Reels. Many still consider Vine to be the peak of short-form content, challenging creativity by imposing a six-second limit on videos before TikTok put those ideas to bed. And now it’s coming back.
Where the likes of TikTok, Reels, and YouTube Shorts are riddled with AI-generated videos in 2025, ‘diVine’, as the reboot is called, emphasises human-only content. Born out of what we’d imagine is boredom, Jack Dorsey resurrected the original video app, six-second limitations and Vine’s 100,000+ video archive to boot. The project’s creator, Evan Henshaw-Plath, reckons we may see original comments and profile pictures return, too.
“Experience the raw, unfiltered creativity of real people sharing genuine moments in 6-second loops. Built on decentralized technology, owned by no one, controlled by everyone,” diVine’s website reads. Unfortunately, the mobile beta is currently at maximum capacity, but you can sign up for the waitlist with an email address.
In the meantime, you can browse diVine on the web. Not every Vine is going to be a hit, especially ones created by the new generation, but that’s the beauty of the human-made content, which is all that diVine will allow onto the platform. We’re sure some AI slop will slip through the cracks, but hopefully not for very long.
Uber’s ‘Send a Ride’ will reveal your broke friends
We’re honestly surprised it’s taken Uber quite so long to figure this one out, but it’s better late than never. The ride-hailing company just announced several new ridesharing features to its app ahead of the holiday season. One of those is ‘Send a Ride’, which does exactly what you think it does, and another is Uber Ski. No, really.
If your mate has ever hit you with the old “I have no money” trick after a long night out, it’s never been easier to cover their fare without them getting a peek at your banking details on their device. Whether they’ll actually return the money to you the following day… The feature requires the user to set a spending limit and a custom number of rides before it generates a link, which can be shared and used by anyone they’d like.
While Send a Ride hasn’t yet reached South Africa, we don’t doubt it’ll turn up eventually. Uber Ski, on the other hand, which lets users book a ride to and from nearly 40 of the top mountains across North America and Europe,” won’t ever darken South Africa’s doorstep. Not until we’re ready to host the Winter Olympics, anyway.
Vivo X500 series gets a major battery boost
The Vivo X300 series may have just launched in China, but rumours are already flying about the battery inside the Vivo X500 series. Don’t worry — you haven’t missed anything. Chinese companies, especially the superstitious ones, tend to avoid the number four wherever possible, which means it’ll likely skip the Vivo X400 series entirely.
Where the X300 outdid itself with a 6,040mAh battery (6,510mAh in the X300 Pro), tipsters from Digital Chat Station on Weibo (via GSM Arena) claim that the X500 series will up that to the 7,000mAh+ realm, possibly even beating out X300 Ultra, which Vivo is still clinging onto for the time being. We don’t imagine the improved battery life will make for very affordable phones, considering the X200 Pro still fetches a R40k price tag in SA.
It seems that Vivo’s mid-range efforts for 2026 will take it a step further with 8,000mAh+ and possibly even 9,000mAh+, though it’s still unclear which devices will reap the upgrade at the time of writing.
Backbone launches Pro Xbox Edition controller
If you believe Xbox’s marketing that everything is an Xbox, you have to accept that your smartphone is one, too. Backbone’s new Pro Xbox Edition makes that fact a little easier to stomach, wrapping your device in a green bunch of controls that look no more comfortable to hold than the company’s PlayStation edition.
It’s still using the device’s USB-C port to pull off the feat, though looking a whole lot more like an actual Xbox controller than the previous entry. Full-size joysticks, hall effect triggers, and customisable back buttons should make it that much easier to play your games on the go, assuming your device can stand to bear it.
If you’re still lagging on the USB-C train, this new controller sports a Bluetooth pairing mode, which the company claims will take roughly 40 hours to drain entirely. Hooking it up via the USB-C means it draws power from the device, lasting about as long as your smartphone or tablet does. Better yet, it’ll ship with a free month of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate to kickstart your journey. From there, though, you’re on your own — price hikes and all.
