Author: Brett Venter

Finally, we’re getting to the more exciting stuff — it’s only after you pass the R10,000 mark and verge up on R15,000 that notebook computers start to really take shape. High-end processors, substantial allocations of RAM, decent amounts of storage — you know, what you’re looking for when you head out to buy a notebook. But finally making it to decent hardware is a little hard on the wallet. You need up to R15,000 (and we’d recommended getting as close to that price as possible) to play in this particular pool but you’ll be glad you made the investment. Durable…

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The thing about sending humans to Mars (we’re going, okay?) is that we have to breathe there somehow. We can’t take along enough oxygen for a year and just hope for the best. Perseverance, NASA’s most recent Mars rover, took along MOXIE, or the Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment, along with it to try and solve this little issue. Perseverance pays off again And solve it it might. NASA has announced that MOXIE, the toaster-sized addition to the Mars rover, has done was it was intended to do and converted some of Mars’ carbon dioxide-based atmosphere into oxygen. Specifically,…

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Do you have a selection of Samsung Galaxy devices gathering dust at home? The South Korean company’s Galaxy Upcycling at Home program is here to do something about it, assuming you’re not already doing the whole ‘downstreaming’ thing with your older smartphones. Samsung has long had its eye on the internet of things (IoT) and the company’s upcycling program is an extension of this. Long story short, Samsung wants you to turn older Galaxy devices into SmartThings sensors, using a new feature in the SmartThings app. Upcycling at Home Specifically, Samsung’s downgrade program can be used to turn an older…

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Amazon is many things — they’re one of the largest companies in the world, they’re a less-than-pleasant employer, and they’re also home to some seriously futuristic (some might say dystopian) tech. Amazon One is a little bit of both, a payment system that’s straight out of the future and a little scary. And it’s heading to more stores in the States. Putting a price on Amazon You might be familiar with Amazon Go, the online retail giant’s experimental stores that let you wander in, select your goods and wander out. The company has pioneered other similar technologies, including the Dash…

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An under-appreciated aspect of virtual reality is its potential for fitness but that’s something that the newly-leaked HTC Vive Air headset is planning to address. The wireless headset surfaced on the World Design Awards website recently, before anything like an official announcement of the device was made. And not just a hint of the  Vive Air’s capabilities, either. We’ve got clear looks at its design, including the material used in its construction, and a neat little description that explains exactly what we’re looking at. It’s a VR headset, but you’re supposed to get it sweaty. Viva la Vive Air It’s…

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Apple is back at it again with its snazzy new home-grown processors but this time they’re not being dropped into a MacBook or an iPhone. It’s the iPad’s time to shine as the newly announced range of iPad Pros will be running a version of that blistering M1 chip to ensure that you’re browsing, designing and reading faster than ever. Announced at this year’s first Apple hardware announcement (you know, that whole Spring. Loaded. deal), we’re set to see several models of Pro land in not very much time at all. Powered-up iPad Pro The big news is obviously the…

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We’ve been expecting something new from Apple’s Apple TV and the Apple TV 4K is it. It’s an update on the last box, with not much difference in terms of design. As usual, the company’s made more changes on the inside than out. Though… it’s not completely the same as the last version. Meet the new Apple TV 4K Apple’s stuck in a new processor, the company’s powerful A12 Bionic chipset, which will allow their little streaming box to support high frame-rate HDR — something that various broadcasters are setting up to support in the States. It’ll handle 60fps footage,…

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Samsung’s range of Galaxy Fold devices have a whole lot going for them. They’re the best foldable phones on the market, that’s hardly in dispute. They’re also attractive slices of metal and flexible glass, and they’re pretty expensive. Okay, maybe not that last point so much. The Galaxy Fold has a few points against it: they’re considered fragile, they’re prone to breaking in weird and wonderful ways, and you can’t get them wet. Okay, about that last point… Galaxy Fold IP-oh? Samsung’s newest set of folding handsets, which includes the Fold and Flip lineup, are reportedly going to turn up…

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NASA’s latest Mars rover dropped off a little helicopter the other day and Ingenuity, the little box-sized chopper, was finally due to take its first flight yesterday on another planet. It, of course, succeeded, or we wouldn’t be talking about it right now. Ingenuity’s 39-second flight lasted long enough to a) prove that it’s possible to fly a human craft on an alien planet and b) enter the history books, because it’s the first time that anyone’s ever done that. So let’s take a look at what history looks like, shall we? That’s some Ingenuity https://twitter.com/NASAJPL/status/1384202604620632074? As you can see…

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Fitbit is usually all about accessible fitness gear, a theme that even runs through its Versa lineup of devices. But the newly-announced Luxe is a slightly different approach — the band is still recognisably a Fitbit but it’s a little more fashionable than we’re used to from the company’s wearables. The Fitbit Luxe is the first new device to issue forth from the company since it was acquired by Google. The company is after a more everyday look with its new bracelet design, a focus confirmed by the partnership with jewellery brand gorjana, the focus of the also-announced Fitbit Luxe…

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