Author: Brett Venter

Hong Kong PC hardware maker Zotac has an announcement coming to Computex in Taipei next week but since you’re supposed to want to hear about it, we already know what it is. The brand is bringing its very own portable PC gaming handheld to market to stand alongside the Nintendo Switch, the RoG Ally, the Lenovo Legion Go, and… okay, maybe not the MSI Claw. The hardware is known as the Zone but there’s little concrete information about it besides the name and a vague outline seen in teaser images. The company is happy to confirm the existence of the…

You could fill a small auditorium with the products Google has killed off over the years. Some of the closures, like the ill-fated Google+ (a social media network so dead that we forgot to cover its official demise), happened out in the open. Others, like the cancellation of the chat feature inside the company’s Maps app, have been a little more undercover. What’s that? You weren’t aware that Google Maps had a chat function? That’s fine. Neither did we. It was a thing from 2018 (just before the aforementioned social network disappeared unlamented) but the past few years haven’t been…

Space might be the final frontier but that doesn’t mean it’ll stay that way. Both Boeing and SpaceX have important launches pending and both take place in the first week of June this year. First, Boeing’s problem-plagued Starliner will carry human passengers into space. Next, the Starliner rocket will make another attempt at a successful orbit of the planet. Of the two launches, SpaceX’s Starliner will be the most visually impressive but since there are human passengers aboard Starliner for the first time, that’s the one to watch. It’ll lift off from 1 June this year, though there’s always room…

Toyota, in a partnership with both Mazda and Subaru, has unveiled several new in-development engines capable of running on several different types of fuel. The stated aim is “decarbonization” of its internal combustion engines, which is why this new trio is heading to market across all three brand’s vehicle models. The 1.5l and 2.0l engines, while optimised for alternative fuels, are also being made smaller and more compact. They’re destined for hybrid vehicles and their reduced size will “…allow for even lower hoods, improving design possibilities and aerodynamic performance while contributing to better fuel efficiency.” Green Toyota South Africa has…

If you were one of the Spotify superfans who snagged the Car Thing, the streaming service’s ill-fated attempt at hardware, your time with the kit has come to an end. The company has confirmed that it is killing off the device entirely. That means it’ll stop working. Not the kind of ‘not working’ that means there are no more software updates. It’ll cease to function entirely from 9 December this year, meaning you’ll at least have a few months to say goodbye before your hands-free music player goes the way of the Kwesé Play box. Car Thing? What Car Thing?…

Wireless audio company Sonos has been teasing a new product reveal on various social media platforms for tomorrow, 21 May. The event will unveil its “most requested product ever”. Which, if you’re paying attention, is probably a set of Sonos headphones. We’ve been tracking the development of these headphones since 2021 when details turned up from the German Patent and Trademark Office, but rumours have been swirling since documents were located in 2020. It seems that these rumours are about to be put to bed. Sonos Ace The rumours have been extensive and, as of earlier this month, extremely detailed.…

So you’ve been considering an Apple iPad Pro, have you? Despite the company including the M2 processor in its previous Pro update, this year’s device is the one to have. We’d probably be saying this regardless of what Apple announced but this time it’s undeniable. Why? The Pro lineup gets the obligatory set of updates but the processor and display are in for a substantial jump. OLED comes to the range for the first time and, as expected, Apple also debuted its M4 chips in these tablets. Would you like to know more? Going iPad Pro There’s an all-new design…

Microsoft has added language to its OpenAI Code of Conduct specifically barring American police forces from using artificial intelligence (AI) for facial recognition purposes. On the one hand, it takes a potentially powerful tool out of the hands of law enforcement agencies. On the other, it removes a potentially devastating tool from their arsenal too. Theoretically, anyway. One of the major worries about artificial intelligence is how much easier it is to eliminate your right to privacy. It’s one thing when a human is watching a closed-circuit camera. It’s another when an artificial network is doing the hunting. Microsoft’s OpenAI…

The latest example of user data jumping over to an unintended purpose comes from Amazon’s Audible service. The audiobook outlet is testing a new programme with about half of its users. The purpose? More effective recommendations. The catch? It uses information generated by those users’ Amazon Prime Video watch history to generate the new suggestions. If you’ve ever believed that your usage history is kept separate between services operated by the same company, we’d like to recommend a bridge you might like to buy. Audible? Gasp.  The new test isn’t optional for participants. If Amazon decides you’re in, you’re in,…

It looks like Chinese companies aren’t taking Tesla’s Optimus or Boston Dynamics’ revamped Atlas humanoid robots lying down. Chery, makers of motor vehicles for the Chinese (and other) markets, has unveiled a new bipedal ‘bot it calls Mornine. The robot was revealed at the company’s CEO Conference and combines two of 2024’s most exciting technologies. Robotics, obviously, but also AI. That’s correct, the new robot will feature an integrated Large Language Model (LLM). Something to be Chery about? Mornine, pictured in the image above, certainly sticks to the “biomimetic” design creators Chery and partners Aimoga are boasting about. The robot…