Author: Brett Venter

If you were there at the beginning, swapping “files” at a LAN in between bouts of Warcraft 3 mod Defence of the Ancients (bet Blizzard feels a little silly right about now), could you have guessed that the eventual standalone game, Dota 2, would receive its own TV show? Of course not, you were probably a stupid teenager then and Netflix wasn’t even around. But that’s just what’s happened. Dota 2 has been converted into an anime series (because what else would you do with it?), one that’s set to broadcast on Netflix from 25 March this year. One way…

Under Armour’s sports gear is among the most technologically advanced on the planet — plus, the company really has its product placement sorted out. The newest addition to Under Armour’s lineup is the Flow Velociti Wind running shoe, which is designed with “…responsiveness and energy return” in mind. Globally launched this evening during a virtual event, Under Armour’s newest is destined for South Africa in a little over a month. It’ll turn up in stores from 18 March this year — here’s why you’re going to want a pair on your feet. Gone with the Wind Running shoes aren’t just…

Way back in November last year, rumours were swirling about Samsung’s Galaxy Fold 3. One of those concerned is an under-display camera for the new folding handset, a cool feature that may or may not have happened — depending on how difficult it was to implement. It seems that the feature is still on track, at least according to leaker Ice Universe. Know when to Fold ’em https://twitter.com/UniverseIce/status/1361264591007739907 According to the leak, Samsung’s Fold 3 has its eye on UPC — which stands for Under-Panel Camera, rather than that other acronym you can’t quite get off the front of your…

Noted tech investor and occasional musician Jay-Z, along with Twitter founder Jack Dorsey, have launched a new Bitcoin development fund in Africa. And India, if we’re being totally accurate, but we live entirely in Africa so… The project is called ₿trust, which is a really hard thing to type. But it has at its disposal 500 Bitcoin (which has an approximate value of around R340 million) and its stated aim is to “make Bitcoin the internet’s currency.” Who can you ₿trust? https://twitter.com/jack/status/1360114881978982403? How the partnership of Jay-Z, Jack Dorsey, Twitter, teams from Africa and India and three board members to…

The rumours of BlackBerry’s death seem to have been greatly (or at least partially) exaggerated. The smartphone maker is set to launch its first 5G smartphone, thanks to the company’s new owner OnwardMobility. And that’s… about all we know. OnwardMobility’s CEO Peter Franklin has said that the handset will launch with a physical keyboard as well as a “…suite of end-to-end security solutions.” Beyond that, we’ve got little idea what it might look like. Picking a new BlackBerry But website MENAFN has a few ideas. A wide touchscreen and the physical keyboard are almost a given, and the revived BlackBerry…

You know how it goes — Eskom has started load shedding in South Africa again, which means that they still have not fixed the problem first brought to public attention in 2008. And, the way things are looking, it’s going to get worse before it gets any better. But you don’t have to take our word for it. Group chief executive André de Ruyter sat down today with the Free Market Foundation to have a chat about the current state of the state-owned power utility. Here’s what you need to know about the conversation. Come on, Eskom You’re probably, like…

You might not remember this, but once upon a time, Facebook attempted to collaborate on a smartphone of its very own. Known as the HTC First, it never saw launch here in SA but it’s just possible that this new rumoured item might. Facebook is said to be working on its own Android smartwatch, which would almost certainly feed even more data into Zuckerberg’s gaping servers. Everyone else is doing it Which, you know, fair. Google just bought Fitbit, so it’s inherited a whole mess of biometric and movement data about the people that use its products. Facebook, ever data-hungry,…

We’re starting off the first complete issue of Stuff Magazine for 2021 with a glance back at the very best of the past year. Our annual Gadget Awards contenders, nominees and winners are all front and centre in the February-March 2021 of Stuff. As hectic as 2020 was, there was an awful lot of very impressive tech on offer. Picking the best of the best wasn’t easy but we went and did it — even if we may have farmed out a few choices to our favourite people — Stuff’s readers.  You can also look forward to a collection of…

If you’re a Star Trek fan then you’ve doubtless heard of the Kobayashi Maru, first seen in the second Star Trek film Wrath of Khan. It’s a training exercise that’s supposed to be nigh unbeatable, involving the rescue of the titular civilian ship. And now you can play it for yourself. The exercise is now available in browser game format, as part of a promotion for the mobile game Star Trek: Fleet Command. It’s an actual contest, with the three top completion times winning one of three prizes. Defeat the Kobayashi Maru https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCSU6FFLVbg&feature=emb_logo And if you’re a serious Trek fan,…

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…