Author: Duncan Pike

WhatsApp gives group admins more power It doesn’t look like the team responsible for the updates at WhatsApp read our articles. Last week we told them they could take a break after they released yet another update. Well, they’ve done it again. The update, currently still in beta, will allow admins of group chats the ability to delete messages sent by the group’s members. The ability to delete WhatsApp messages isn’t new, you’ve been able to do that for ages. You’re even able to delete your messages for other people, provided you didn’t send them too long ago. But you’ve…

According to Reuters, Russia has issued a fine to Twitter, Meta Platforms (formerly Facebook) and TikTok for disregarding the country’s laws and failing to delete content Russia deems illegal from the respective sites. This is the latest penalty in a year of increasing pressure for tech companies to conform to Russia’s demands. Many critics have described the effort as an attempt by the country to maintain and expand its tight control over internet usage within its borders. A move that will further threaten both individual and corporate freedom in the country. Really? Is that all? Meta Platforms’ fines total 13…

Are the people that work on WhatsApp updates actually people? Or are they robots way more advanced than everyone thought? Either way, who- or whatever is behind them doesn’t get much sleep. The messaging service’s most recent update wants to make your life easier if you constantly send voice notes through the app. For those that do, it is almost a certainty that you’ve sent a voice note without meaning to, or halfway through a sentence or when you’re inaudible or… you get the idea. Thanks, WhatsApp update team. Take a break now All of that is now a thing…

OnePlus is the latest company that seems keen on trying its hand at making a tablet. Larger, more successful companies have tried and failed, like Google with its Pixel Slate, so this should be interesting. With Samsung and Apple dominating the space with well over 50% combined market share for what seems like forever, even third place tablet maker Lenovo struggles with only 9% market share. Xiaomi recently released its own attempt in the form of the Xiaomi Pad 5 and Pad 5 Pro. Is there space for another manufacturer in this already difficult market? OnePlus pad equals? If the…

Have you ever applied for a job using VR? If you’ve ever been in the position of starting a new job only to find it’s nothing like what is in the description and quitting shortly after, maybe try applying at MGM Resorts. The company is using Virtual Reality headsets to simulate roles, allowing applicants to try them out first in the hopes that it can retain its new hires, according to Business Insider. MGM Resorts, manager of the world-famous Bellagio in Las Vagas (among others), is using VR headsets from Strivr, a company that specializes in enterprise VR training. The…

With the pandemic keeping everyone indoors, many turned to video games to pass the time. Then there were those that chose the gamer life long before. When you’re trying to buy gifts for people in either of those camps, it can be rather easy to get the wrong thing. That’s why we’ve put together this list to give you a helping hand when you’re gift shopping for everyone from a casual tabletop gamer, to a professional esport athlete. Sony PlayStation 5 R14,000 / wootware.co.za This is undeniably the hottest console on the planet right now. The PS5 is the first…

Xiaomi makes another smartphone battery advancement Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi has developed yet another improvement to smartphone batteries. Following on from the blitz of its currently available 120W superfast charging and with 200W HyperCharge tech in the works, Xiaomi has now turned its attention to batteries. The company recently announced it’s been working on a new High-Silicon Lithium battery. This announcement came from the Chinese social media platform Weibo. The new battery tech in question will offer increased capacity at the same volume. The company has been able to improve on the amount of silicon present as well as a…

WhatsApp has started its trial of a feature that lets users send and receive funds within a chat, but not like you think. Before you get excited, this trial is only available to a select few in the US. If it goes well it will likely roll out to other places but that might take some time. The feature in WhatsApp integrates Meta’s recently launched digital wallet, Novi. It uses the Pax Dollars (USDP) stablecoin and Coinbase as its custody partner. According to Novi’s website, sending cash works the same way as sending a location pin or meme. Users can…

Last night saw the best games of 2021, and the people responsible for them, awarded for their efforts at the annual video game award show — The Game Awards 2021. With a name like that, what did you expect? The show was hosted by video game journalist Geoff Keighley and featured The Matrix Resurrections stars Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Ann Moss as award presenters. They were joined in their hosting duties by Simu Liu from Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Jim Carrey and Ben Schwartz from Sonic the Hedgehog 2, industry friend Guillermo del Toro and Giancarlo Esposito…

In typical Oppo fashion, the company has teased at some new camera tech for smartphones that it’s been working on. The brief video, tweeted by the company on Tuesday, shows a “self-developed retractable camera” which does exactly what you’d think. The camera extends out of the phone’s body and then retracts back inside in what we believe is known in some circles as ‘ground hogging’. The short piece of cinema also alludes to the fact that the mechanism is waterproof as seen from the sprays of water onto the device and camera module. If you tend to drop your phone…