Author: Brett Venter

If you’ve ever wondered where Samsung goes after building folding smartphones and developing the K9 Thunder 155mm self-propelled howitzer (look it up), the answer is obviously: humanoid robots. After all, everyone else is doing it, and the South Korean company isn’t one to let a trend slip by. How soon we’ll see something that looks and walks in a vaguely human manner is uncertain. Still, the head of the company’s Future Robotics Division, Oh Jun-ho, speaking at this year’s International Robot Symposium, reckons we’ll “be able to see it soon.” Please don’t name it Bixby, Samsung There are several challenges…

You can’t really call yourself a South African unless you can identify a Toyota Hilux by its silhouette, but you may soon have trouble spotting one as it zips by on that dirt road. Not because the Japanese company has altered its iconic shape (much), but because it’ll be moving too fast. Toyota has whipped the shrouds off its newest range of workhorse bakkies and, along with the usual upgrades to its petrol and diesel models, there are two unusual flavours set to arrive. These are the Toyota Hilux BEV and the upgraded Hybrid 48V, a fully-electric and a plug-in…

Reality has caught up to rumour, with Chinese company Huawei (you know who they are) announcing its Mate 70 Air smartphone for its home country. As expected, both from the name and prior leaks, it’s a skinny little critter. The handset measures just 6.6mm through its middle — it has a way to go to beat the Galaxy S25 Edge’s 5.8mm or the iPhone Air’s 5.6mm — but Huawei has chosen to keep as many features as possible intact. Performing a 70 Air The Mate 70 Air uses a frankly massive-for-a-smartphone 7in display, a 2,760 x 1,320 AMOLED effort with…

Star Trek fans who are also Lego fans (there are a few of you out there) will want to keep their eyes peeled for this Black Friday. Not because of any particular special, though there are bound to be a few of those, but because that’s when their pre-ordered U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-D set will arrive at the local Lego store. Yes, even South Africa’s official outlet. The space-themed 3,600-piece set launches on the same day in SA as the rest of the world, on 28 November. You could wander in and get it, but Trekkies will know that there’s often…

Amazon has, like Google, been jamming AI into every product it can get its hands on, and next up are features for Kindle Direct Publishers. For those who don’t know, KDP is a platform where writers (of varying skill) can create and sell their work without bothering with agents or editors or anything like that. Soon, authors will have Kindle Translate in their corner, allowing for translation of their magnum opus into other languages for other markets. First, though, the feature has to get out of its limited beta. Does this Kindle your interest? Amazon will give “select Kindle Direct…

Everki’s Studio Eco 15in expandable laptop backpack wants to be the item you lug your work to and from the office in, with a few tricks left over to let it serve as an overnight bag for air travel. If you’re not hopping on planes for the occasional meeting, the R2,900 price tag might prove to be a little too much to bear. It’ll also be a tough sell for anyone with a portable gaming laptop since… well, most of those tend to be larger than 15in in size. Don’t try and jam something in that won’t fit, and the…

Anyone who has ever played Overcooked or one of its sequels with other humans knows just how tense interactions with the folks you once called ‘friends’ can get. The multiplayer cooking game easily devolves into a mess of shouting, swearing, and severe recriminations. You were supposed to handle the dishes, Kyle! What’s wrong with you?! Ahem. Given the onscreen chaos, it’s almost surprising that nobody has thought to make a reality TV show of the concept before, but according to Deadline, Netflix and A24 are about to rectify that. Netflix gets Overcooked The show based on the game is said…

If we told you there was a new product called the Stream Ring, you’d probably have visions of folks with improbably dyed hair making flabbergasted faces in thumbnails. It’s not really like that, though. The new smart ring, a product from a company called Sandbar, is another take on others we’ve seen, but it puts a few fresh functions on your finger. Step into the Stream Ring Sandbar is made up of veterans of a neural interface company that was absorbed (for money) by Meta some time back, so you know there are some decent tech brains behind the Stream…

Nintendo has stepped into the modern age, releasing a dedicated app for its Store for both iOS and Android. It’s a fresh take on its older My Nintendo app and stands on its own from the likes of its parental control or Switch apps. As the name suggests, it’s all about browsing the company’s games. Perhaps to avoid Apple and Google taking a cut of the proceeds, buying a shiny new download of Donkey Kong Bananaza requires users to complete the transaction outside the app. What Nintendo has in Store There’s more than just a catalogue of available Switch and…

The Canon EOS R6 III is here to replace its R6 II predecessor, and it’s throwing a few notable improvements at photographers to do it. The Japanese camera specialist just announced the upgrade, which features a larger image sensor and a few new skills. The most obvious upgrade is the R6 III’s sensor. 32.5MP replaces the previous generation’s 24MP tech, giving the mirrorless shooter an immediate advantage. But there are a few other upgrades to look forward to when it makes its way to South Africa. Examining the EOS R6 III Improved resolution is matched by quicker shutter speeds and…