Author: Duncan Pike

One look at the spec sheet for the new Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 (G835LX) was all we needed to know that it was going to be powerful. The 2025 model has been updated with the latest silicon from Nvidia and Intel, and also received a few design changes that we reckon work in its favour for a more refined look while still making it clear to anyone with eyes that you’re a gamer. Our review model arrived sporting an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX CPU, Nvidia RTX 5090 laptop GPU, 64GB of DDR5 RAM, two 2TB Gen 4 NVMe…

We said back in March that the rumours wouldn’t be the last you heard about Half-Life 3, and would you look at that, it’s back in the news cycle. This time, new rumours claim that Valve has all but finished its development and that it’s “playable, end-to-end,” meaning an official announcement could come as early as this summer, or winter for us southerners. Half-Life 3, any day now The latest round of speculation comes from Tyler McVicker, a reputable Valve leaker, who held a Q&A live stream on 30 April. During this, he said the still-unofficial follow-up to the Half-Life…

Facebook’s parent company, Meta Platforms, has officially released its new standalone AI app called Meta AI. This comes roughly two months after plans for a dedicated AI app from the company were floated, and right on time for the reported Q2 release window. Meta’s AI assistant isn’t entirely new. If you’re one of the billions who use WhatsApp, Facebook, Messenger, or Instagram, you might already be familiar. Before now, it only existed inside those apps or via its website. But that’s all changed with The Zuck’s latest attempt to broaden his AI reach, taking the fight to Microsoft-backed OpenAI, Google,…

It’s almost time for the next Huawei product launch. Scheduled for 15 May in Berlin, the tech company is set to unveil its latest smart wearable devices, including what appears to be the Watch 5, the successor to the Watch 4 that launched in 2023, and new editions of its Watch Fit series. Huawei on your wrist The company hasn’t officially announced any devices yet, but that hasn’t stopped a few details from leaking, including one or two specs and renders of the upcoming wearables. That’s not counting what could be a new innovation seen in the company’s latest promotional…

The Honor Magic 7 Pro is the brand’s latest smartphone to launch in South Africa, only a few months after it debuted in China. It succeeds the well-received Magic 6 Pro and ticks every box for a flagship device in 2025. That includes Qualcomm’s current best chip, an imposing rear camera array, a larger battery and slightly faster charging, and now-obligatory AI features. But are these changes enough to warrant an upgrade? Looks… like a smartphone Like most of the industry, Honor opted for a boxier design with the Magic 7 Pro. It retains slight curves on all four edges…

We don’t have the data to back up this claim on hand, but there’s bound to be some crossover between audiophiles and Star Wars fans. There’s finally a product for those folks in the shape of Audio-Technica Japan’s Star Wars-themed ATH-AWSW DV wooden headphones. These limited-edition hand-crafted cans feature polished Echizen lacquer earcups adorned with two Lucasfilm-approved unique images of Darth Vader using the decorative Maki-e technique. If you’re already sold, then we have some bad news. Audio-Technica Japan is only making ten units, which will be available from its booth at Japan’s Star Wars Celebration event starting 18 April.…

Following the launch of its rebranded ULT portable speaker range last year, Sony launched the flagship ULT Tower 10 along with the ULT Field 7 and ULT Field 1. Now, it has expanded the lineup to include two versions of a slightly smaller ULT Tower 9 and two much smaller units called ULT Field 3 and ULT Field 5 to fill the numbered gaps. The shoulder strap-equipped ULT Field 3 steps into the shoes of the outgoing SRS-XE300. It houses an 86 x 46mm woofer and 20mm tweeter, and it can be operated horizontally or vertically. Although horizontal will probably…

Anyone who’s bought a laptop will know how costly the process can be. Need more RAM, storage, or a peripheral? Those usually cost eggstra. Then, there is the option to eggstend the warranty for protection if something terrible were to happen. That usually also costs eggstra. This month, Acer Africa is offering buyers of certain laptops the option of a discounted eggstended warranty. It might not be the most glamorous of offers, but if you’ve ever had to foot the repair bill for a laptop out of warranty, you wouldn’t have that smirk on your face. Protect your Acer eggs…

Sonos recently dropped the recommended retail price of its Era 100 smart speaker and Ray soundbar. The company didn’t say much publicly about the price decrease, but when the vigilant folks in the Sonos subreddit spotted the decrease in other countries, we reached out to Sonos’ local distributor, Planetworld, to confirm if South Africa would benefit. On that note, we’ve got some good news. Sonos lowers the barrier of entry We’ve confirmed that both the Era 100 and Ray have had R1,000 lobbed off their original recommended retail prices. That means both now have a new RRP of R6,000. This…

Amazon’s Project Kuiper will release its first full load of satellites into low-Earth orbit soon. The mission, called “KA-01”, for Starlink’s main competitor is currently scheduled for “no earlier than” 18h00 SAST on Wednesday, 9 April. Barring any further delays, a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket will launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida and transport 27 internet-from-space-enabled satellites to about 450km above the Earth. Once the satellites have successfully separated from their launch vessel, “a series of mostly automated steps to activate onboard systems” will commence as their electric propulsion systems carry them to their…