Author: Brett Venter

First National Bank’s (FNB) Nav app has been around for quite some time, constantly adding features since its initial launch. That seems to have paid off, with the bank’s service now counting 5 million users under its broad umbrella. Growth has been steady since the service’s 2016 launch but the last annual cycle turned out to be the major attractor. Nav scooped up a million new users in the past twelve months, fully 20% of its current total and “underscoring the growing demand for FNB’s innovative digital financial solutions”, says FNB. Join the Nav’i Nav has several different categories available…

Luxury car maker (and also the 1 series) BMW plans to integrate Huawei’s HiCar vehicle software in its vehicles sold in the Chinese market by 2026, according to the automaker. The software will be combined with cars made locally in the country, meaning we probably won’t see it on this side of the planet in a hurry. The German manufacturer will also work with Huawei to develop apps for the automotive version of the tech company’s Harmony operating system, allowing Huawei users to connect and control (or at least monitor) their BMWs with very little extra overhead. A BMW in…

Samsung was supposed to bring its Galaxy Ring to South Africa sometime in February this year, but that deadline has unfortunately passed. It hasn’t been abandoned, though. Pricing for the finger-worn wearable has turned up — not from Samsung officially but in South African currency, at least. Tech website Cellucity has a listing for the overdue Samsung peripheral, pegging the local price at R8,000. You can’t pre-order the thing yet, but it is possible to join a waitlist for notifications about when your newest gadget turns up on sale. Grabbing the Galaxy Ring That shouldn’t be long, according to a…

Not even Microsoft’s own research showing how artificial intelligence makes users less cognitively capable will prevent the tech company from releasing more Copilot. The latest? Copilot for Gaming, “the ultimate gaming sidekick that helps players get to play faster, sharpen skills with expert coaching, and enjoy a more social gaming experience.” Or, to put it another way, it’s another way for AI to get involved in the relaxing, creative thinking processes humans do to unwind instead of shutting up and doing all the math nobody wants to do. This is my Copilot https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoUDVNjDUSw Okay, so it’s not quite as bad…

Back in 2022, DStv made the unpopular decision to limit streaming of its services to a single screen. It’s taken a few years, but the choice has just been walked back. Effectively, as of today, DStv Premium, Compact Plus, and Compact subscribers can stream to two screens at the same time. DStv Stream customers are also having an additional simultaneous device tacked onto their existing capabilities. About time, DStv At the time, the move to limit simultaneous streams was intended to combat password piracy. The easing of restrictions makes no mention of that or how it fared from 2022 to…

If you think tickets to see Metallica live are expensive, you’re probably not ready for the Apple Vision Pro experience. But what an experience it should be. All the awesomeness of one of the biggest names in metal without any of the sweatiness that accompanies it. At least, that’s what Apple is promising when it drops its new Metallica “Apple Immersive concert experience” on 14 March. The presentation was filmed in Mexico City during the band’s two-year-long M72 World Tour and promises “ultra-high-resolution 180-degree video and Spatial Audio to give viewers unprecedented access to James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett,…

Every one of Samsung’s headliners is better than the last, but we can’t get over the idea that the company is intentionally taking smaller steps than it could. That’s especially true of this year’s Galaxy S25 Ultra. Yes, it’s speedier than it was last year. Could it be quicker? Likely, but then what would Samsung do next year? The focus for 2025 is on Samsung’s Galaxy AI, which could be a way of distracting us from the fact that very little has changed since about 2023. Those that have, have done so in very small increments — so much so…

Podcast app Pocket Casts has made its Web Player available to all users, free of charge. There’s no catch aside from a gentle nudge to create a free account to access a few extra features. All listeners need to do is head to the website, select a podcast, and start listening. There’s a reason for the move. Officially, “[b]y making our Web Player available to everyone, we’re reinforcing our belief that podcasts belong to the people, not corporations.” Unofficially, well… Out of Pocket Casts There really are no catches for users who want a free podcast service at their fingertips.…

Meta has long since chosen to abandon its metaverse ambitions and lean heavily on artificial intelligence. It has now made the jump to producing its own AI hardware. New internally designed AI training chips are now being tested by the social media giant. Following the initial test, assuming the chips are successful, Meta plans to increase production of its in-house hardware and roll it out internally. The idea is to replace the company’s reliance on hardware manufacturers like Nvidia for its AI ambitions. Meta’s bag of chips Two sources, speaking to Reuters, said that the test is a stepping stone…

In yet another stunning illustration of the power of AI, Google’s Gemini assistant can now add items to your Google Calendar at the press of a single button. Yes, really. It’s not like the functionality is new. Gemini users can ask the assistant to perform Calendar-related functions, including adding new events. What is new is the addition of a dedicated button in Gmail — once it’s been set up for your (paid-for) account — that automates the clicks you’d need to do this manually. Another Gemini launch The new function only works with Google Workspace accounts — Business, Enterprise, Education,…