Author: Brett Venter

Over the years, Stuff has seen several companies with no business making phones make the attempt anyway. OpenAI and ChatGPT might be the next to step into those illustrious ranks, possibly alongside Chinese brand Dreame. A report from Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst who tends to focus on Apple updates, suggests that OpenAI is targeting a 2028 release of dedicated phone hardware. There are no tech specs or images yet, just talk. But that talk claims that MediaTek and Qualcomm are involved on the hardware side. ChatGPT phones it in A Chinese company called Luxshare is also supposed to be involved…

If you’ve ever wanted a little drone that even a kid could put together, the folks from Seeed Studios will sell you one. The ESP-FLY is exactly that — a miniature flying contraption composed of a small set of components that can be assembled in a few minutes. The “compact, lightweight DIY micro drone kit” will set you back around R1,000 ($60), plus whatever shipping is. We’ve checked on that, but the company won’t share that information unless you create a full account on its storefront. The power of ESP-FLY Everything needed to turn a collection of bits into something…

We already know that Meta is working on an AI version of the company’s founder. A new acquisition could give the Zuckerbot a body of its own. The platform, according to a report from Bloomberg, has acquired Assured Robot Intelligence (ARI). The startup about to be absorbed into Zuckerberg’s empire doesn’t make robots, but it does make artificial intelligence software intended to power them. ARI is joining Meta specifically to overcome “critical challenges” related to humanoid robot control. Meta’s Zuckerbot lives! The report quotes a Meta spokesperson as saying that ARI will create “models and frontier capabilities for robot control…

Stuff knows Chinese brand Dreame as a manufacturer of robot vacuum cleaners. The company has revealed (for the second time) its Aurora lineup, which doesn’t feature the company’s typical tech. The range is supposed to comprise three smartphones, and from any other company, we’d think that was incredibly weird. But since Dreame also has designs on action cams and hypercars, perhaps it can pull off a smartphone launch too. Only, the Aurora range is supposed to be three phones. Revealed to the Western world at an event last week, the phones talk a big game. Aurora sighted? Whether the Aurora…

Even Realities makes several sets of smart glasses, with the Even G2 being its most consumer-facing pair. They’re also about to get a lot more nerdy. The company has announced a new Terminal Mode for its display glasses, which lets users “interact with AI coding agents directly from your glasses.” The feature allows wearers to monitor their AI agents remotely via the glasses. Given how frequently news emerges of AI agents going rogue and deleting things, at least you’ll know about it in real time (or slightly slower). Even Realities looking Terminal It may even be possible to halt an…

Humanoid robots loading your luggage at the airport isn’t a far-off scenario. Japan Airlines (JAL) has announced a pilot program, starting this month, that will see this exact situation play out — though it’ll likely take longer to execute than just plonking C-3Po into the luggage bay. The reason for using humanoids instead of purpose-building an airport-bot? Their conveniently human shape “allows their introduction without significant modifications to existing airport facilities or aircraft structures.” But the demonstration experiment, as Japan Airlines is calling it, will play out over a decent amount of time. Haneda’s new humanoids The trial takes place…

Huawei’s tri-folding Mate XT smartphone came out in, of all places, South Africa. It arrived in other countries, sure, but we’re really not sure how many locals paid R70,000 (at launch) for the company’s most unusual phone. If you’re more of a second-generation buyer, your chance is coming to spend vast sums on the XT’s successor. A rumour out of China reckons that Huawei has its sequel brewing. The projected launch is for October this year, giving you plenty of time to secure a deposit. Or a bank loan. Need another Mate XT? The rumour comes via Hyperdimension Realm, a…

It’s set to be a good few months for wearable tech. Honor should be unveiling its new Watch 6 Plus to the world — or at least the bit of the world that lives in China — in the next few weeks. Signs of the device have turned up on Chinese social media. It’s definitely launching, with Honor opening pre-orders already in its home country. Hopefully, like the Watch 5, it’ll eventually make its way to South Africa. For the projected battery life, if nothing else. Watch 6 Plus signs The major clues as to Honor’s plans for its newest…

DJI has a few new products, at least some with Osmo branding, to show off in the next week or so. The company has confirmed a 7 May event where it’ll put “wonders in your palm.” Exactly what those wonders are remains to be seen, but speculation is that there’s a new version of the company’s Osmo Mobile 8 coming. The educated guess is based on the only item clearly seen in DJI’s announcement teaser, which looks suspiciously like a remote control. Why yes, I am a DJI Wonders in Your Palm May 7, 2026 | 8 AM (EDT) Learn…

Fitness brand Suunto could have a sequel to its R3,810 Core smartwatch in the works. There are no visuals for the device yet, but it certainly exists. The update to the 2007-launched Core watch has turned up in an FCC filing with some interesting information attached. The most interesting thing? A potential battery life of multiple years. Possibly as many as five, if the work done by the folks who found the regulator filings is accurate. Core value There are other details available via the listing, but that’s the main one. The wearable will (or should) be powered by a…