Author: Brett Venter

We’ve been seeing a lot more Cyberdeck-style computing devices, and the Pi Slate is just the latest in the form factor. They’re not much different from the old netbook from days gone by, but they’re almost infinitely cooler. Visually, at least. A piece of the Pi Slate The Pi Slate actually has at least two icons that start with the word ‘cyber’ on its branding, reinforcing the notion that the late 1980s had the coolest technology aesthetic. Carbon Computers, the company selling these, has several models on offer. They all look the same, but feature very different performance. This BlackBerry-looking…

Sony saw premium portable cooling devices coming back in 2019. The Reon Pocket is now back, following Dyson’s efforts this year, with a new Pro Plus edition. In case you’ve forgotten what the Reon Pocket is, it’s a portable air conditioner. The Pro Plus? Obviously, just a bit more so. The little device is more than just a handheld fan, of course. It tucks down behind a wearer’s neck inside their shirt, circulating cool air as you move from a high-pressure meeting to your sports car and back. Obviously. Sony’s updated Pro Plus model gets a little cooler than before.…

Hisense is, in a sense, getting in on the smart glasses trend. The company has just launched its Smart Audio Glasses G11 in China, with no mention of whether they’ll travel to other places around the world. Given that they’d cost roughly R3,000 if bought here, it would be a pity if the G11 stayed at home. Hisense of sound That said, the G11 glasses aren’t really smart in the sense you’d get from, say, Meta’s Ray Ban collaboration. Hisense’s wearable tech focuses on the ‘audio’ part of the name, with six microphones doing the heavy lifting. They’re not alone,…

One way to vent frustrations in traffic is to sing. If you’ve got a car full of people, then passing one of Samsung-owned Harmon’s microphones around for a spot of karaoke might keep everyone’s temper down. It could also result in a duet-inspired collision, so maybe the driver shouldn’t be participating. Seriously, though. Harman has announced Sing Drive, a “new in-vehicle karaoke and sing-along platform designed to transform the car into a private, shared space for musical expression.” It’s better than simply singing along to whatever’s on your sound system because… um… AI? Samsung’s Sing Drive And it might well…

If you’re going to buy a robot lawnmower, it might as well look cool. The Goko M6 certainly fits that bill, featuring stylish tyres and a body shape reminiscent of the Cybertruck. You know, the EV that some Americans love (or love to hate)? Occasionally, the military shoots at them (on purpose). Hopefully nobody will drop missiles on Goko’s robo-mower, though. That would leave some very large divots in your perfectly-maintained lawn. The company behind it, Robot++, has made allowances for holes that size, at least. Assuming an AGM-65 Maverick hasn’t pulverised it. Damn you, Goko! The M6 uses AI,…

Apple does it every year, so there’s no reason why Huawei can’t. We’re referring, of course, to an annual developer conference. The Chinese brand has just locked down the dates for its own outing, referred to as HDC. There’s a slight crossover with 2026’s WWDC, but Huawei, being on the other side of the world, can probably pull it off. Huawei’s newest developments HDC will run from 12 to 14 June this year, slightly encroaching on Apple’s spotlight. As with most software conferences, we’re not expecting much in the way of product reveals. If anything is lurking, Huawei is keeping…

Ereader company Boox has been on a roll lately, but its newest outing might be a little special. The company has released Tappy, a little remote control device for its readers. We’ve seen Kobo’s remote control, which is a fairly premium take, but Boox’s effort is a shade more impressive. Perhaps ‘satisfying’ would be a better descriptor. The Tappy “wireless page turner” is based on a typewriter, with two keys that bring to mind the older, clacky tech. Based on the company’s images, you’ll want to keep pressing it, whether it’s to turn pages back or forward. Boox club That’s…

Earlier this week, rumours suggested that OpenAI is targeting its own smartphone hardware built around ChatGPT. The move makes sense for the company. Having a device where it controls all the variables is an attractive proposition (just ask Apple). It makes less sense for end-users, who will require something novel to jump ship from Apple, Samsung, and friends to something OpenAI has made. But, while the initial report was light on technical details, more of those have since surfaced. OpenAI the gates 【產業調查更新】OpenAI 可能正加速首款 AI agent 手機開發，目標最快於 1H27 量產，考量原因或包括有利年底 IPO 敘事、AI agent 手機競爭加速等。目前聯發科更有可能獨家取得處理器訂單，該機預計採用基於天璣 9600 的客製版本，並於 2H26 由台積電 N2P 生產。ISP… https://t.co/EYEtbWf16X…

One of these days, different fields of robotics will merge and give humans something to be really scared of. Genesis AI’s newest demonstration of its robot hands paired with, say, Honor’s Lightning robot would be legitimately terrifying. Imagine an artificial humanoid with the ability to outrun you and then make scrambled eggs directly afterwards. Scary, right? Sure, people can already do that, but it’s much more freaky when a machine does it. Thankfully, Genesis AI’s robotic hands are an isolated contraption. They’re not attached to an overly mobile torso or anything just yet. Genesis 1x https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWVLDTvH1Hk That doesn’t mean that…

Samsung’s Galaxy Watch range does an excellent job of tracking what’s going on inside your body, but it could be doing more. The South Korean company recently published a study showing that its Galaxy Watch 6 can predict, with about five minutes’ notice, when a wearer is about to faint. Galaxy Watch’s faint echoes That’s a handy feature to have, since it gives people a chance to get a) help, b) a softer place to land, or c) the car pulled over, so there’s no additional traffic complication. The catch is that getting your “prediction of vasovagal syncope” on your…