Author: Brett Venter

Self-driving vehicles are an elusive goal for the tech industry but one place where they might function properly is in the field. The literal field. John Deere has already shown off a self-driving tractor; now, agriculture company CNH Industrial has its own entry. Called the New Holland T4 Electric Power, this is “the industry’s first all-electric light utility tractor prototype with autonomous features.” Last week, the vehicle was unveiled at the company’s Tech Day event in Phoenix, Arizona. Electrifying CNH Industrial The self-driving tractor has several standard EV features. Its battery pack should offer a full day’s worth of work,…

Last month the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) sought permission to use robots to kill criminals and other suspects (terms and conditions apply). At the beginning of December, that permission was granted. In the latest twist of this particular roller coaster, killer robots are no longer allowed to kill human beings in San Francisco. No more killer robots In a complete reversal, the Board of Supervisors just voted for a military equipment policy that bans police from using robots to kill. Thank you to all the residents and civil rights advocates who made their voices heard! — Dean Preston (@DeanPreston)…

Earlier this year Chinese tech maker Xiaomi took the wraps off CyberOne, its upcoming humanoid robot. The ‘bot only offered a limited demonstration in August but it’s back for something a little more impressive. Specifically, the robot has turned up in a video where it plays the drums. And yes, it really appears to be doing so. But as impressive as the demonstration is, it also shows just how far we have to go before robotic humanoids are really a thing. Which drummer? The CyberOne https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfQ04jEbEyQ The first thing that you’ll note in the video above, once you look past…

At this point in time, one of the most inconvenient items that can be stolen is a person’s smartphone. A wallet or purse used to be the ultimate headache when it came to theft but the future is now. Your smartphone has far more utility than your wallet ever will. Except for when you stashed those things in your wallet ahead of Oppikoppi that one time. That was awesome. It’s hard to do that with a cellphone. While losing a wallet used to mean cancelling cards and getting a new driver’s license, your accounts were usually safe. Unless you were…

File this one under ‘ideas that everyone else is about to steal in short order’. Epic Games has launched new kid-specific accounts for its platform, designed for the under-13 age bracket. Called Cabined Accounts, these are semi-locked-down accounts intended to keep kids safer and offer parents a little more control over Junior’s multiplayer interactions. Epic’s announcement, made via a blog post, does have one serious drawback. The publisher is punting the launch of Cabined Accounts as “a new way for kids to join the metaverse”. Self-aggrandising messaging aside, though, the change has come into effect for Rocket League, Fortnite, and…

Word has come down from on high — South Africa goes to Stage 6 load shedding as of 12:00 today. Early this morning, the country went back to Stage 4 thanks to additional breakdowns overnight. Seems that it’s not about to get any better. Stage 6. Really?  Stage 6 loadshedding will be implemented from 12:00 until further notice. This is due to a high number of breakdowns since midnight, as well as the requirement to strictly preserve the remaining emergency generation reserves. Eskom will publish a full statement in due course. — Eskom Hld SOC Ltd (@Eskom_SA) December 7, 2022…

DStv has at least one avenue where it doesn’t have to worry about entertainment rival Netflix. Live sport isn’t likely to make an appearance on the platform any time soon, according to comments made by co-CEO Ted Sarandos. Sarandos, speaking at the UBS Global TMT conference, said, “We’ve not seen a profit path to renting big sports today.” No love for live sport The hesitancy makes sense. As DStv well knows, sports can be a serious drawcard but buying the rights to them is incredibly expensive. That’s why most of the sporting action tends to remain locked behind a DStv…

Last year Apple’s Project Titan, a rumoured self-driving car, received a serious shot in the arm when Hyundai spilled some beans it really shouldn’t have. The Korean automaker later had to walk back its comments, but the project rumoured since at least 2015, leapt to prominence among more than just hardcore tech watchers. Unfortunately, everybody, from serious tech heads to Apple’s target customers will have to wait a little longer until they see the fruits of Project Titan. At least, that’s according to the folks who have spoken with Bloomberg. A reveal of the vehicle has been pushed back to…

Stuff has spent time with several Tecno smartphones in recent years. The Africa-centric Chinese brand offers up decent hardware to users but its software has historically left much to be desired. That, happily, may be about to change. Google and Tecno have announced a new three-year partnership that should see the smartphone brand wielding some better software in short order. Time for some new Tecno A key part of the partnership is the introduction of “an optimized user experience” for the company’s smartphone. That’s largely Google’s responsibility. Since the company is the de facto authority on Android (since Google owns…

Microsoft, not so long ago, bought a little company called Activision. Shortly after, Sony was up in arms because it thought it might lose Call of Duty on the PlayStation platform. It’s an obvious thing to be stressed about. One of the largest gaming franchises on the planet being owned by your arch-rival is bound to cause a little executive sweat. Microsoft has reportedly made Sony a second offer about keeping the twitch-shooter gaming juggernaut on the PlayStation. The initial offer, according to Sony, wasn’t adequate. Hopefully, this one is a little better. The price of the Call of Duty…