Author: Brett Venter

Sometimes you want a computer that’s just going to get the work done. No flashing lights, no extra sparkly bits. You’re working at home and don’t need to impress or you’re in a boardroom with Patrick Bateman and understated is how you avoid a nail gun to the skull. Whatever your reason, you should probably check out the Dell Inspiron 16 5620. The Inspiron 16 5620 is, in terms of design, almost boring. ‘Safe’ would be a better description. There’s very little in the way of creative flourishes. Just a smooth lid with the Dell logo at centre stage. The…

When you think of the Winter X Games, the first thing that leaps to mind is a group of folks snowboarding. We’re not sure why that is, it’s just a thing. Of course, there’s more to it than that. There are skis, for one, and it’s not just fearless folks going downhill very fast. Normally the only way to experience something like this — you know, extreme athletes performing movement-based miracles — is to watch it on a screen or stream. But you can also join in by connecting up a games console and sending a digital version of these…

You might recall, last year, that Google made it possible for Android users to use biometric security to protect (“protect”) their Incognito web browsing. The feature was in early beta at the time and it took some doing to get it working. Now, in addition to a bunch of other security features, it’s possible for Android users to keep their private web browsing even more private. Android unlocked The method to lock down any Incognito pages on your smartphone has become very simple. Head to Chrome Settings → Privacy & Security → Turn ON “Lock incognito tabs when you close…

The original Dead Space launched in 2008. The reboot of the space-based survival horror series is due to land tomorrow, 27 January. But even before the originator was a thing, the survival horror genre had been around for a very long time indeed. Resident Evil’s 1996 release on the PlayStation One is credited with being the first to use the title but older games, like Infogrames’ Alone in the Dark, offered similar gameplay mechanics as far back as 1992. Since then, the genre involving impossible odds, monstrous foes, and limited resources to overcome both has proved immensely popular. So much…

Last year LastPass, the encrypted password-protecting app, released details of a data breach that affected both the company and customers. The details of this breach have trickled out over time, with some of the more disturbing info being held over until the world was on holiday. As the late, great Billy Mays once said, ‘But wait, there’s more!’ The company that owns LastPass, GoTo, has confirmed that customer data was also hauled off during the hack. Some of that customer data is at risk. Head ’em off at the LastPass The company’s second hack of 2022 resulted in more extensive…

Extreme sports have, in addition to giving the world the X Games, always been an exciting pastime. Whether you’re doing something unlikely at high speed yourself or just checking out some vintage footage, it always delivers. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a spectator or a participant. Sadly, most of us will only ever be spectators. This might go some way towards explaining why extreme sports video games have proved so popular over the years. It all started with Tony… actually, it all started with California Games in 1988. But it wasn’t until eleven years later, in 1999, that Tony Hawk’s…

Jabra makes a lot of in-ear headphones. Seriously. A whole lot of in-ear headphones. Eventually, statistics dictate, you wind up repeating yourself. That’s the case with the Jabra Elite 5 in-ear buds. Were these released in isolation, they’d be a fantastic set of affordable in-ears. But right now? We’ve seen most of what they can do before this. But at R2,500, they’re relatively affordable and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with the tech they’re packing. But they don’t have to be here. The Jabra Elite 2 will cost you R1,300. The Elite 4 Active is R2,200. The Elite 7 Active? R3,600.…

You might have seen several reports over the weekend claiming that load shedding is about to become a permanent fixture in South Africa. As in, it’ll be permanently scheduled rather than going away occasionally. The state power utility has since given a statement that this is in fact, incorrect. You might think that a lack of permanently-scheduled load shedding would be a good thing but the reasons why it isn’t being implemented don’t bode too well. Building better load shedding Eskom spokesperson Sikonathi Mantshantsha explained, “Eskom has considered implementing permanent Stage 2 and 3 load shedding to give more predictability…

Apple’s off to a flying start for 2023, even if that start doesn’t appear to include virtual reality headgear. A fresh crop of M2 Apple Silicon-powered devices is due at month-end and now there’s talk of a set of M3-powered Apple hardware in the second half of the year. But talk is all it is, at least for the moment. A report from Digitimes, which covers Asian supply chain news, suggests that there are M3-powered MacBook Air models in the works for some time after June 2023. The M3 goes faster, right? According to the report, “The supply chain is…

Twitter may have just (re)launched its Blue subscription service on Android but there’s more in store for those willing to give Uncle Elon money. Specifically, a more expensive version of the already eleven-dollary (R190/m) service. You’ll get what you’re paying (a substantial chunk of money) for. The purpose of the upcoming tier is to remove advertising from the service entirely. Twitter wants you feeling Blue Also, there will be a higher priced subscription that allows zero ads — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 21, 2023 Paying for access to the micro-blogging service, weirdly enough, doesn’t remove all the ads from the…