Author: Brett Venter

This shouldn’t be surprising at all, as every mobile operator in South Africa is working on getting smartphones on the 5G network. Rain’s had it for a while (but it is data-only), with MTN and Vodacom following suit. Next up is Telkom, which is preparing for 5G launch. The only problem? It still can’t say when Telkom users will have access to that lovely, lovely data speed. Telkom trailing Company spokesperson Mooketsi Mocumi, speaking to MyBroadband, says that the network has identified its first 5G sites, which it is currently optimising for a better user experience ahead of a broader…

This is a report that may come with an ‘allegedly’ or two but given what we know about Facebook, it’s probably true. Clubhouse, the social media service you may have heard about but probably aren’t invited to (yet), already has Zuckerberg working on a clone. Because Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram aren’t enough, apparently. I’ll make my own Clubhouse! The New York Times reports that Facebook is already working on a copy of the voice chat social network that has yet to enter the mainstream. Details are thin and, according to the publication, the project is still in the “…early stages…

Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S7 and its sibling, the S7+, are currently the best Android tablets out there. But the Galaxy Tab S8 should be following along soon, according to an entry on Samsung Ireland’s website. It’s possible that the entry, which adds detail about a tablet called the Galaxy Tab S8 Enterprise Edition, is the result of a typing error, but that would still mean that there’s an unannounced Tab S7 Enterprise Edition out there. Meet the Tab S8 But, since it’s been months since the Tab S7 was announced and its successor is due to turn up a little…

With load shedding being back with a vengeance, appliance maker Defy’s launch of its Solar Hybrid fridge and freezer in South Africa — as well as several other African countries — is almost perfectly timed. Your first question is probably: What is a Solar Hybrid appliance? Basically, they’re appliances that reduce your power consumption when Eskom has the lights on, thanks to its supporting solar power panels. During the day, when the sun is out, solar handles most of the load. At night, or when it is overcast, you’ll draw power from the grid. Sussing out Solar Hybrid There are…

Fitbit’s Charge 4 is one of our favourite wearables at the moment, standing astride the line between smart and fitness dedicated gear. It’s simple, lightweight, features decent battery life and Fitbit Premium will guide you through all sorts of healthy ideas. But it could be better. And, now, it is. Just about, anyway. Wareable has the details about a large update for the wearable that adds all sorts of cool features. They’re live, but they haven’t made it everywhere just yet. If you’re not looking at an update yet, you probably will be soon No charge for the Charge 4…

The Audi E-Tron GT has been a concept for at least a few years now but last night the auto-maker made it, and the Audi E-Tron GT Quattro, an official thing. The new vehicle joins the plain ole E-Tron and the Sportback version on the market. And if you’re a Porsche fan, you might want to pay extra-special attention. Audi is using the Porsche Taycan’s J1 platform for the vehicle, which means that most of these specs are going to look a little familiar — if you’ve been paying attention. Meet the Porsche Taycan E-Tron GT https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StkkIdBY5r0 The four-door electric…

Sometime people you’ve known for some time go bad — not because of anything you did, it’s just where they are right now. Such is the case with a popular barcode scanner app, imaginatively called Barcode Scanner, that switched from scanning little black-and-white lines to handing out malware. The Android app, which had more than 10 million downloads before it was eventually taken down from Google’s Play Store, used to be a regular old app, according to Malwarebytes researcher Nathan Collier. But then, late last year, something changed. Maybe it discovered drugs, or something. Building a better barcode scanner Basically,…

Conspiracy theories concerning the COVID-19 pandemic, and the vaccine developed to combat it, are everywhere. There are people denying its existence, others claiming that the vaccine (which we might eventually get here) will implant you with microchips or alter your DNA — and a substantial portion of this misinformation is shared on Facebook. A vaccine for Facebook stupidity? Facebook isn’t unaware of this fact, resolving in early 2020 to do something about the large quantities of COVID misinformation making its way onto the social network. Over the months, its content moderation policy has become stricter, to the point where all…

Xiaomi doesn’t just have interesting scooter tech on the way, it’s also got one monster of a smartphone headed to market. The Xiaomi Mi 11 is, technically, already out in the market but was previously only available in China. At an event yesterday, the global version of this moviephone (you’ll see) was made official. Here’s what you need to know about it. Turning the camera up to 11 Everybody is boasting about their camera tech and since Xiaomi tends to get theirs from Samsung, we reckon they can be a little snobbish. The Mi 11’s rear camera arrangement is an…

Okay, now we need you to pay attention. We’re only going to say this once — Xiaomi have launched, in partnership with the Mercedes F1 Team, a new scooter called the Xiaomi Mi Electric Scooter Pro 2 Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team Edition. We’ll be calling it the XMESP2MAPFTE, or just the Mi Electric Scooter Pro 2, from now on. A better Scooter Pro 2 Xiaomi’s little two-wheeler, which first turned up about mid-way through last year, has been given a visual tune-up in the form of the  Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 team’s colours. But what hasn’t changed is the scooter’s performance.…