Author: Brett Venter

There’s been talk of Meta’s so-called ‘Hypernova’ smart glasses for months, and it looks like the speculation will be put to rest in the next few weeks. CNBC reports that the social media company is lining up two new sets of wearable eyewear for its September Connect conference. One of these will be the specs named for a generic Marvel superhero. Or, you know, a galaxy-busting celestial event. That’s probably just Meta’s marketing department being hugely optimistic. Or is it? Going Hypernova The company’s Hypernova product has yet to appear in action, but the same sources that revealed its launch…

There’s a new Honor X7 in the works, in the shape of the Honor X7d. You’d think that with the company already launching two handsets in the lineup, they’d be ready to go up by a number rather than a consonant, but that doesn’t appear to be the case. The phone has two serious claims to fame. The X7d will feature a simply massive (for any standard phone) battery, plus an oversized megapixel count. It’s also, based on previous pricing in its lineage, likely to be affordable. X7d. Or a. Or b. Or c.  The freshly announced handset will lob…

Stanford Medicine researchers have been working on a new brain-computer interface (BCI) chip intended to restore speech to folks who have severe difficulties verbalising anything. The implantable BCI lives in a subject’s motor cortex — the area that controls movement — and collects signals when patients attempt to speak. These are then translated into speech via a computer algorithm. The process works by training a computer to “recognize repeatable patterns of neural activity associated with each “phoneme” — the tiniest units of speech — then stitch[ing] the phonemes into sentences.” The principle works when patients attempt to physically speak, capturing…

Anyone who has ever taken a drone to the beach knows the uncertainty of using the pricy tech. Wind, waves, inquisitive seals… there are many hazards out there. The HoverAir Aqua hopes you’ll let it avoid those problems for you, except for perhaps the seals. There’s not much you can do about wildlife except feed them someone slower than you are. Whether you’re using a drone to capture your surfing or SUP skills, getting it to drop a fishing line in the midst of a school of fish (that’s cheating, by the way), or just capturing footage of people frolicking,…

If you find that you cannot exist unless Google gives you even more AI in your life, the local launch of AI Mode will send you into paroxysms of joy. Launching for both web and mobile Search in 180 different countries, including South Africa, the new function promises to usher in “a new era of AI-powered search that is more intuitive, comprehensive, and helpful.” How? According to Google, “AI Mode helps users tackle complex, multi-part questions with more intuitive responses, multimodal inputs, and deeper ways to explore topics.” The result can’t be much worse than what the company has done…

Few smartphones from named brands will come in at under R1,500, but that’s just what Tecno’s new Spark Go 2S handset supplies. Newly launched in South Africa, the handset is available at TFG (The Foshini Group) stores for only R1,400. What do you get for your cash? A surprising amount, at least on paper. The Spark Go 2S talks a pretty big game, promising AI-supported writing and translation features in addition to its hardware. How that’ll go in practice is something we’ll only be able to judge when we’ve seen one in action. Reigniting the Spark Go 2S Tecno has…

If it’s time to add a new compact camera to your photography arsenal, the upcoming Ricoh GR IV could be what you’re looking for — if you can stomach the price tag. The Japanese owner of the Pentax optics brand has announced that its newest compact will launch from September this year at the eye-watering price of R26,600 ($1,500). Now that’s American pricing, with the ongoing tariff situation possibly contributing to the GR IV’s premium price. It’s also Pentax, despite the Ricoh branding, so that might be at least some of the cause. Locally, it’ll likely be at least as,…

Microsoft made the launch date for the Asus ROG Xbox Ally X official today, but if you are a South African looking to snag one on the 16 October launch, think again. Our country isn’t on the lengthy list of launch countries. It sucks a bit, but it just means that the Xbox Handheld Compatibility Program will have more time to work out the kinks before we lay hands on the handheld console. South Africa falls under the “other markets” banner, since the ROG Ally X is sold here, but launch availability “will follow” for our (and other) regions. But…

It’s a good time to be a parent and a DStv Family subscriber. The R340/m package from satellite provider DStv has always prioritised kid-friendly content, and, says the company, it’s about to get a whole lot friendlier. It’ll do this by adding three new channels to the package. All are kid-centric, with the Nickelodeon, Nick Jr, and DreamWorks channels joining the lineup from 25 August. Joining the DStv Family Muitichoice CEO Byron du Plessis said, “While our broader packaging review remains ongoing, our research shows that Family customers value kids’ content as much as they do local shows and movies.”…

Okay, okay… the headline makes Google’s newest daily ‘we stuck AI in this thing’ update sound much cooler than it is. Docs users can now summon the power of Gemini to turn their boring old text document into an audio version of the same thing. It won’t turn the minutes from your last company meeting into a full-on audiobook, though that would be a much cooler feature. This one doesn’t work much differently from text-to-speech programs, the first of which was available back in the 1970s. You ask Gemini to read something, and it’ll read it to you. Out loud,…