Author: Duncan Pike

Tonight, 10 May 2023, Huawei announced seven new flagship consumer devices including the foldable Mate X3 and P60 Pro at its Middle East and Africa regional launch event held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Stuff had boots (or flip-flops, in this case) on the ground to watch it all unfold. We can also confirm that five of the seven new devices will be launching in South Africa at a separate event slated for next week. Headlining the event was Huawei’s new flagship foldable, the Mate X3. It was joined by the P60 Pro, the latest addition to Huawei’s ever-popular P…

Last week, local wireless internet service provider, Rain, announced the launch of its own 4G mobile network and the introduction of a new product to go with it – Rain One. As a result, new customers no longer have the option to only opt for a SIM card and uncapped 4G data to use on the go. Instead, they will need to subscribe to the operator’s new package that combines an uncapped 5G home package with two 4G SIM cards for use on its new mobile network, with varying “levels” of monthly data, minutes and SMSes. Out with the old…

As more bandwidth becomes available (and to make more money in a competitive market), local ISPs can decide to upgrade their customer’s line speed at no additional cost. While that might sound like you’re scoring, it isn’t always the case. That speed bump won’t do you any good if your router can’t keep up. That “free” ISP-issued router is probably fine for most folks. Especially for those a) with a set-and-forget approach to their home network, b) who don’t need much coverage, or c) are content with using old Wi-Fi technologies (Wi-Fi 4 or 5). If you opt for a…

Earlier this month, Asus surprised everyone by announcing a new handheld gaming console to rival Valve’s Steam Deck and Nintendo’s Switch – the ROG Ally. With the initial announcement being on 1 April, many people were a little sceptical. And rightly so. Every year, companies around the world and across every industry seem unable to resist the urge for a mock announcement or joke. Some of them kinda work, and some… definitely don’t. But Asus assured everyone the ROG Ally was, in fact, a real product, and now, ahead of the global launch event on 11 May, we know a…

Production for the next generation of Apple-designed M3 chips is set to begin in the second half of this year, according to reliable industry insider Ming-Chi Kuo. Apple has used its own ARM-based M series silicon chips in almost all of its computers since the company unveiled the first M1-powered MacBooks in November 2020. Only the desktop-sized, cheese-grater-looking Mac Pro has yet to transition to Apple silicon and still runs on Intel’s Xeon platform. The upcoming M3 chip will be the eighth iteration of Apple’s SoC design – following the M1, M1 Pro, Max, and Ultra, M2, and M2 Pro…

Proton, the privacy-focused technology company best known for its encrypted email service ProtonMail, recently announced it is expanding its ecosystem with a password manager. This is the fifth security-focused product the company offers, along with its encrypted email, calendar, cloud storage, and VPN applications. Proton’s new password manager protects the contents of a user’s vault with a 32-byte random vault key which is encrypted and signed with an asymmetric user key. This user key is encrypted with a bcrypt hash of the account password and the account salt. The company also assures that “[a]ll cryptographic operations occur locally on your…

Taiwanese tech maker Asus has unveiled this year’s refreshes to its Zenbook family of thin-and-light laptops, along with a sort-of-all-new device in the form of the Zenbook S 13 OLED. Strangely, Asus wasn’t the only Taiwanese tech maker to make announcements today which is either a meticulously planned Taiwanese conspiracy, or just a coincidence. While a total of five devices were included in the virtual launch event, only two of those will be coming to South Africa, the headlining Zenbook S 13 OLED and a refresh of the Zenbook 14 Flip OLED. But those might both sound familiar, so what’s…

Taiwanese tech maker Acer today unveiled nearly a dozen new laptops across four of its product lines intended for launch in South Africa this year. Depending on what you’re looking for, prices range from R15,000 all the way up to R90,000. Availability is also device-specific but they should all be here by September, with the first arriving in June. There were several other products mentioned, including an air purifier, e-bike, Chromebook, desktop gaming PC, and two gaming monitors. But, as far as we know, only nine laptop-shaped devices will grace South Africa’s shelves, digital or otherwise. Of the laptops heading…

American audio maker Sonos recently launched its “Pro” subscription service aimed at commercial spaces like coffee shops, gyms, or tech startups that see a lot of foot traffic. Unfortunately, the service is only available in the US for now, where it costs $35/m (R640) per location. While the press release does state “with additional markets to follow”, it doesn’t say what those markets are or when a wider rollout can be expected. The new service is controlled via “a bespoke Sonos app experience”, essentially a web-based interface that presumably works similarly to the mobile app… with a few extra features.…

South African high school students looking to make a name for themselves in the local competitive esports scene have another opportunity to do just that. Acer and African Cyber Gaming League (ACGL) have partnered up for a ‘new’ esports league, the Acer Nitro ASL (ACGL Schools League), proving you can never have too many acronyms in the same sentence. The Acer Nitro ASL isn’t completely new, just the ‘Acer Nitro’ part with Acer joining the league’s second term as a headline sponsor. In return for naming rights (and that sweet sweet brand visibility), the company will be providing the prize…