Author: Brett Venter

Apple’s Watch has had the feature for a while, now Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 4 wearable becomes the first to get an official walkie talkie app. The app, perhaps fittingly, is simply called WalkieTalkie — you can’t possibly guess what that does based purely on its name, though. Come in, Galaxy Watch 4 The official app was first spotted by the folks over at XDA Developers (on the Android store, obviously) and it allows Watch 4 owners to chat to other Watch 4 owners using only their wristwear. Just like using a walkie talkie, really. But there are limitations, obviously. You…

Look, the perfect eReader already exists — it’s called the Kindle Paperwhite (10th gen), but there are some compelling options out there from Kobo as well. And then there’s the Boox Note Air, which sounds like it was named by someone who used to work at both Samsung and Apple. Let’s be up-front with this — this eReader, which isn’t tied to an app store (though it has one), is a little pricier than the average Kindle at about R6,900 but it’s still cheaper than the Kindle Oasis, which it’s clearly targeting. And it’s also a little difficult to find…

The United Launch Alliance (ULA) has confirmed that it’s retiring its Atlas V rocket from service — this is a move that has been in the works since 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea. See, the ULA’s long-time workhorse is built around the Russia-made RD-180 rocket engine. That made politicians uncomfortable. The ULA was ordered to stop using them back in 2014 and the last of the paid-for engines was delivered earlier this year. No more RD-180 engines means no more Atlas V rockets on sale. ULA CEO Tory Bruno, speaking to The Verge in an interview, explained that all of…

Jeff Bezos blasted into space (more or less) last month on a Blue Origin rocket, a move that didn’t impress… well, most parts of the planet that didn’t include Jeff Bezos. So it might not be the perfect time to mention that you can own your very own New Shepard rocket, for the unfortunate sum of $69. Because of how it looks, naturally. Blue Origin for beginners https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_YRr1R1dH8 Perhaps appropriately, the Blue Origin rocket being offered on the Estes Rockets web store is rated for beginners. Jeff Bezos’ company doesn’t have that much experience with putting its hardware up in…

If you’ve lived on the South African coast, you’ll be aware of just how many cargo ships travel up and down our coastlines. They’ve all got engines and they all make… a bit of a mess. That’s about to change. Later this year, a ship called the Yara Birkeland will travel from Herøya to Brevik in Norway. This wouldn’t be a big deal, except that the Yara Birkeland will be completely unmanned. It’ll also be completely electric — its creators bill the Birkeland as an emissions-free vessel. Creepy cargo ship The Yara Birkeland has been in development for some time.…

Everyone’s favourite mentally ill musician, Kanye West (no judgement, it’s just a thing), has a new toy for budding artists to play with. The Donda Stem Player might look like a cross between an Ultimate Ears Roll 2 and a Fleshlight but it’s not a Bluetooth speaker — though we suppose you could use it as one, if you were really boring. What does the Donda Stem Player do? https://twitter.com/yevideo/status/1430543251442999299? West’s new device, part of a partnership with tech company Kano (you’ll see the Yeezy Tech x Kano branding at the official website), is kind of like a Bluetooth speaker,…

South Africa’s recent unrest is still very fresh in everyone’s memory. Riots, looting, politicians being banned from Twitter — it was an exciting time. Samsung isn’t quite finished with the events of July 2021 — the South Korean company has activated a system that will remotely lock “…all Samsung television sets looted from our Cato Ridge distribution centre in KZN since the 11th of July 2021.” Can… can Samsung do that? The ‘feature’ is called Samsung Television Block and it does exactly what it says on the tin. When the TV is connected to the internet — and most of them…

Remember when Donald Trump did the whole Space Force thing? Yeah, turns out there might be a reason for that. A website dedicated to US military developments reports that the United States’ Defense Department is debating whether to declassify “…the existence of a secret space weapon program and providing a real-world demonstration of its capabilities.” Elevating military might Which sounds a lot more awesome than it actually is, at least according to the website Breaking Defense. It doesn’t seem much like rockets or lasers (okay, maybe lasers) or a Mass Relay or anything like that — apparently the US military…

South Africa has a new space services company, AAC Space Africa. Yes, SA actually has a space industry (and our local space agency’s acronym is SANSA, of all things. Very Game of Thrones) and its number has officially increase by one, thanks to a new initiative by Swedish company AAC Clyde Space. The company announced yesterday that it is establishing a new South African subsidiary to “…capitalize on the rapidly growing market for satellites and space services in Africa.” Earth to AAC Space Africa The local company will be based in Cape Town and will “…design, build, and deliver space…

Every once in a while, we come across a completely unexpected piece of tech — something that we didn’t realise could prove to be a useful part of our lives until we saw the blasted thing. The Xiaomi Mi Portable Electric Air Compressor (we won’t be referring to it by its full title throughout, don’t worry) is one of these. This little air compressor isn’t an everyday essential, unless you’re a cyclist or you really go hard on the football field, but it’s something you should consider purchasing and leaving in your car — you know, in case of emergencies.…