Author: Brett Venter

So you’re looking for a phone that’s reasonably feature-packed but isn’t going to cost Death Star money? Well, you’re in luck. Xiaomi’s budget brand (Redmi) has a budget brand of its own. From that heritage comes the Poco M4 Pro, a budget-priced handset that doesn’t feel like it has cut too many corners. Poco phones, in general, are not a bad lot. Okay, sometimes they can be a little iffy, but that’s no reason to discount them. They’re also attractively priced if your definition of ‘attractive’ is ‘I can afford one’. This applies to most people — especially South Africans.…

The price of petrol in South Africa went up again this week, to a record high of R21.96 for 95 octane. And that’s after SA’s government dropped the price by R1.50 with a little tax holiday. The price of gas isn’t exactly sustainable. Something has to change. While we wait for South Africa’s government (or the current Eastern European situation) to sort something out, that something might be us. Let’s introduce you to the concept of hypermiling, a hobby for some that might become an everyday essential if this keeps up. What is hypermiling? Hypermiling is mostly practiced overseas. Folks…

Agritech is becoming bigger business. If it’s not using AI to improve output, it’s using an app to monitor and manage an entire farm. That’s the promise Farmers Friend, a new app from South African company IQ Logistica, offers its users. The app is, specifically, a “Farming Operations Mobile Application”. It’s designed to help out in a wide variety of tasks, from improving yields to managing operational data. Mobile Farmers Friend It does this by offering field and farm mapping, represented on the app. This can be accessed either off or online. Sometimes it’s difficult to get a mobile signal…

The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) has published a new draft amendment. Big deal. That happens often. But this one, amending the End-User and Subscriber Service Charter Amendment Regulations of 2018, actually is a big deal. See, it deals with a few very specific things. But the one that is most notable is how long your mobile data must last. Specifically, mobile data purchased from mobile operators must last at least six months. That means no more having leftover data disappearing after eight weeks or so. ICASA’s data mine ICASA’s draft proposes amending Regulation 8B of the 2018…

First National Bank (FNB) yesterday announced several new features designed to tempt potential customers over to the green side. Among those was a free Starbucks coffee a week, a great deal if you live in Gauteng and can get to one of five local stores. There’s also access to Udemy courses, a medical and armed response app called GuardMe, Slow Lounge access (FNB owns that outright now), and a games subscription. But perhaps the most interesting of the bank’s new “lifestyle solutions” are so-called ‘Hero Device Deals’. This is a feature where apparently high-end devices are available from the bank…

Prepare your wallet for another mugging. South Africa’s national energy regulator, NERSA, is proposing a 7.47% increase in municipal electricity tariffs. The price hike would come just three months after Eskom’s recent tariff increase. The state-owned power utility scored an extra 9.6% in tariffs — less than the roughly 20% it was seeking, but still enough to sting. NERSA, via a new discussion document, is proposing the new 7.5% tariff increase kick in from 1 July 2022. That’s the process as usual, but the agency says that it will not hold public hearings on the matter. It cites time pressure…

On the one hand, Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, a game by the studio that bought us Borderlands, is an allegorical take on the inner workings and insecurities of longtime character, Tiny Tina. On the other hand, it’s about traipsing through a wacky world populated by strange characters and even stranger missions. So… exactly like Borderlands, then? Well… yes, and no. The game’s systems are familiar to anyone who has played anything in the series. As far as DNA goes, there’s far more Borderlands 2 than Borderlands 3 in this one. That’s one thing to be thankful for. But it’s more than…

It’s time for a brand-new issue of your favourite tech publication. The April-May- 2022 edition of Stuff Magazine has landed. Head on to your nearest store or pay a visit to one of our many digital versions of the magazine and pick up an issue that covers basically every aspect of your life. Yes, even that one, provided you read it in the smallest room.  First up is the road. The April-May 2022 edition of Stuff collects some of the best EVs available in South Africa today. The price of petrol is getting a little ridiculous, even with the promise…

You may not be aware that South Africa offers a Free Basic Electricity allocation to a portion of its population. If so, you’re either too busy trying to keep your family fed, or you don’t have to worry about FBE. Even if the latter is the case, it’s entirely possible that you know someone who could benefit from the government program but doesn’t. Be a good chap (or lass) and pass it on, will you? What is Free Basic Electricity? Free Basic Electricity is a program that gives some South African households between 50kWh and 60kWh of free electricity a…

If you’re a South African, you know that the cost of visiting the petrol pump has you considering buying a horse. There’s another petrol price increase due in a matter of days. Before that happens, the South African government has a little respite in store for the country. From 6 April — so next Wednesday, when the petrol price is likely to go up — South Africa’s fuel levy will be dropped by 40%. This tax break will remain in effect until the end of May. SA’s finance minister Enoch Godongwana made the announcement while addressing parliament on 31 March.…