Author: Brett Venter

Netflix giveth and Netflix taketh away. Mostly, though, the streaming platform giveth. And it looks as though it’s set to give its users a little more, in the shape of mobile games playable on TV sets. Even weirder, smartphones (the iPhone, specifically, but we expect Android would also get a look in) would function as controllers. At least, that’s the case according to some code that has turned up in the iOS version of the streaming app. If it’s executed, and there’s reason to think it might be, it would see mobile games playable on TVs. And that means more…

It’s been a long road to Apple’s WWDC 2023. Normally the World Wide Developer Conference is a software-based affair, where UI updates and apps are the order of the day.  But expectations are high for this year’s event. Apple’s finally dated the thing so we’d got some idea when to expect Apple’s Next Big Thing™ – 5 June is the day. And that’s official. What’s (still) not official is whether we’ll see Apple’s Reality headsets. All signs point to ‘yes’, including a report that company head Tim Cook is adamant that AR and/or VR headsets are on the menu for…

Lockheed Martin doesn’t just make weapons systems, the F22 Raptor, and… okay, and rocket engines. Crescent Space is the newest spinoff from the weapons and aerospace company and it’s dedicated to a slightly less explosive aim — that of lunar communications infrastructure. Which, if you’re paying attention, is a major target of the ongoing Artemis program. Nokia has already been tasked with building a 4G network on the lunar surface — gotta let astronauts doomscroll too, after all — but this new venture promises to be a bit more expansive. Dead Crescent Space Our snarky doomscrolling comment isn’t far off…

Elon Musk’s other, other moonshot company is Neuralink. For the uninitiated, that enterprise is looking to develop a brain-computer interface that will eventually be installed in human beings. That moment is coming ever closer, with the tech outfit actively seeking a clinical partner for human trials. That doesn’t mean that Neuralink is allowed to perform those trials yet. It’s still at the ‘making monkeys telepathic’ stage of development but, according to six sources “familiar with the matter”, a clinical partner is being sought. The missing Neuralink Specifically, the company has been discussing the possibility of teaming up with the Barrow…

It should come as no surprise to anyone that Asus has another notebook for us (and everyone else) to drool over. The Asus Zenbook 14 OLED is a refreshed version specifically for 2023. If you’re using last year’s 12th-gen Intel model, all you really need to know is that this year there’s a 13th-gen Intel Core i5 or i7 inside the brushed metal chassis. That’s… about it in terms of upgrades. The other core specs are all the same. If you’re not incredibly concerned with processing power, you can pull the ripcord on this review now and go snag last…

Generative AI like ChatGPT seems to be getting more advanced by the day. It was only a matter of time before someone decided to take the technology in the other direction. That’s happened thanks to a Singapore-based developer called Yeo Kheng Meng, who has convinced 2023’s most advanced AI to work in an MS-DOS environment. A little context for the younglings who might not be aware of it — once upon a time, computers operated in a very different environment. Known as the Disk Operating System (DOS), computer users were expected to remember, understand, and correctly implement complicated command-line strings…

Popular PC gaming storefront and platform Steam will stop working on (objectively) the best version of Windows on 1 January 2024. It’ll also stop working on Windows 8 and Windows 8.1. The news isn’t that surprising — Windows 7 launched in 2009 and Microsoft killed support for the operating system in 2020. Windows 8 and its successor were always on borrowed time. Time for a Steam clean The reason? Valve is actually very specifically laying the blame on Google’s Chrome. Specifically, “The newest features in Steam rely on an embedded version of Google Chrome, which no longer functions on older…

Audiobooks are a form of media that haven’t really undergone many updates in recent years. Audible has just changed all of that by bringing Dolby Atmos support onto its platform. What this means is that in addition to single narrators and full-cast renditions of audiobooks, listeners will also have the option to experience those performances in a more immersive audio format. Specifically, the inclusion of Dolby Atmos will “push the boundaries of audio-only narratives through the ability to place sounds in a multidimensional space”. Pulling an Audible The feature isn’t coming to a full roster of books just yet. So…

If you’ve spent any time in the presence of survival horror games, you’ll have encountered Resident Evil, also known as Biohazard in Japan. Of the many, many games in the canon, there’s none quite so admired (and relaunched) as Resident Evil 4. First appearing on the GameCube before making its way to the PlayStation 2, Wii, PS3, Xbox 360, iOS, and even newer platforms, it was and still is an incredible game. The newly-launched Resident Evil 4 Remake has some deep shoes to fill, is what we’re trying to say. And unlike Resident Evils 2 and 3, both of which…

Every South African should have at least one burner phone. Not because we’re all criminals but because of criminals. Or, general clumsiness. We don’t know what sort of situations you get up to. But if you’re out somewhere remote, where the only aspect of your phone you actually need is the ability to call someone, maybe you don’t have to drag along a R25,000 Apple or Samsung flagship. A R500 backup will do just as well. Basic cellular phones — some of which are even Android smartphones — have the advantage of getting the job done and also not stinging…