Author: Brett Venter

So you’re in the market for a larger smartphone but you really don’t want to pay Samsung prices. We get you — Samsung’s got great phones but they also know it, which explains the price tag. For solid quality and size at a budget price, check out Xiaomi’s newly-launched Redmi Note 9 and Redmi Note 9 Pro. If you’re looking to spend less than R10k on a handset, this is where you should start looking. Leaving you on Redmi These aren’t the first handsets from the brand to land this month. Last week we saw the Redmi 9 family get…

Apple decided to use 2020 as the year it was going to be as unpredictable as possible (as far as Apple goes) by holding two events at the end of the year. The first was the Apple Watch Series 6, plus a few new iPads, and the second… well, that’s what we’re here to talk about. We’re expecting the iPhone 12, plus… well, maybe a few other things. Here’s what this evening’s Hi, Speed showcase will (probably) look like. The Apple iPhone 12 will be along Purely in terms of the stock market, Apple has to announce the iPhone 12…

So you like to think you’re a budding South African content creator, do you? Well, prepare to have your hopes dashed, or your dreams come true, because Telkom’s new TelkomONE streaming service might make you a very happy person. Or a sad one. And that’s because it’s looking for content creators for TelkomONE, a new “…streaming platform that celebrates local talent.” The service, which will launch in November this year (or is expected to), is looking for content based around three different categories. Why care about TelkomONE?  Why care indeed? Well, there are three categories Telkom is looking for submission…

Apple, just lately, has been all about security, and privacy, and encryption, and more security. But the company’s handsets have had a flaw for some time — a flaw that has now made the jump to Apple’s Mac lineup, putting those machines at risk at a hardware level. The issue? Apple’s T2 security chip. And the bigger problem? It can’t be fixed. It’s quite a job, security Apple’s been using the T2 security chip, which secures everything from stored data encryption, Touch ID and Apple’s Activation Lock (which works with the ‘Find My Device’ feature Apple’s devices er… feature), in…

Everyone wants to be the first to create a self-driving car, and there are a few of them out there. But they still need a human watching what’s going on. Waymo, however, is hoping to jump the gun on everyone by being the first to field a fleet of driverless taxis — and it seems the company’s done just that. Driverless taxis? Really? But there’s a little fine print to examine, first. Waymo has indeed launched a limited-service consisting of driverless taxis in Phoenix, Arizona (specifically covering the suburbs of Chandler, Tempe, and Mesa — an area about 80 square…

If it wasn’t obvious by the large number of showcase events Samsung’s had of late, it’s making the most of a rather rough 2020. That’s definitely the case with regards to its financial results for Q3 2020, which show that the company’s made more money than it typically does. Mo’ money, no problems Just how much money did the company make? According to its earnings guidance, the company is expecting to report sales of between 65 and 67 trillion Korean won, and an operating profit of between 12.2 and 12.4 trillion Korean won. In currency that makes a maybe a…

Electrical power, as most South Africans know, is not something you should take for granted. It can be turned off with the flick of a switch, leaving you with melted ice cream and warm beer at a time when you really need both of those things. So you might be a little concerned that we’re increasingly starting to use electricity to power cars. So’s Scania, the Swedish truck-maker. So much so that they’re testing whether putting solar cells on its trailers will help make plug-in hybrid trucks more efficient. (Spoiler: it will.) Powered by light They’re not looking for massive…

Though this month is normally dedicated (on the internet, at least) to the annual skeleton war, every few years we redo that whole Battle of Koom Valley Sony versus Microsoft/PlayStation versus Xbox thing. There’s not quite the level of animosity and fanboyish in evidence in previous generations, because gaming’s come a long way since then, but there’s still… conflict. Rivalry. A little friendly banter, as each side, insists that it has the superior product. But there’s always a winner in every argument and it may not be who you’re expecting it to be. Welcome to reality Microsoft’s Xbox Series X…

We’ve seen VR in all its many forms. We’ve seen the shenanigans Facebook’s getting up to since it bought up the most high-profile VR company in existence. We’ve even tried out a couple versions of it. But nothing has us more excited about the future of VR than Virtuix and its upcoming Omni One onmidirectional treadmill, which has been made with home use in mind. A walk in the park? Virtuix is no stranger to Stuff. We’ve been aware of the company’s tech since the very first crowdfunding program in 2013 to its use at NASA’s JPL. From there, the…

YouTube has long had various funds in place, to fund its creators and produce better content for the service, while also uplifting its users. One of those funds is the Black Voices Fund, an initiative that launched this year with $100 million in backing from YouTube. And YouTube has just announced that it’s now available to South African artists as well. Granted, it’s pretty cool Black creators in the States, Brazil, Kenya, Nigeria and now South Africa are all eligible for funding. No other countries will be added to the multi-year initiative before years-end, it seems, but we’d expect a…