Author: Brett Venter

We’ve all been super-keen on officially having Microsoft Surface products in South Africa… well, since they were first announced. At long last, we’ve gotten our wish. Microsoft’s made good on its May 2020 announcement and has announced the launch of the Surface range in South Africa — starting with the Surface Pro 7 and the Surface Laptop 3, which’ll be available in both 13.5in and 15in sizes. Yes, this means you can now buy Surface products in South Africa and you don’t have fuss around with importers and ship your kit overseas if something goes wrong with it. Instead you’ll…

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that everyone from Google to Apple are tracking you, with mobile apps in particular being a large contributor to tracking activity currently taking place. Some people don’t like that, as Google parent company Alphabet has found after being hit with its second lawsuit concerning smartphone tracking. “Allegedly” The lawsuit, filed in the States on behalf of a small collection of individuals by law firm Boies Schiller Flexner, claims that Google’s apps continue tracking users, even when said users have taken the steps Google says will prevent tracking. Specifically, the complaint says, “Even when consumers…

It seems that a few months cannot pass without some company or another reporting that login data has been stolen from their care. Those details, which comprise email addresses, usernames and passwords, among other personally-identifying info, have to end up somewhere. And that somewhere is the dark web, where they’re being sold. And the number of login details up for sale is not insubstantial. Cybersecurity firm Digital Shadows says that, according to the company’s research, there are more than 15 billion logins for sale, the product of more than 100,000 data breaches. Of these, some five billion are unique. But…

The night is dark and full of terrors when Eskom turns the lights out, but you can still keep yourself busy with a little planning. Stuff watched the wall so you don’t have to. Ready Player One No matter what you’re planning to do when the power’s gone, it doesn’t make sense to sort it out after the fact. Snag Eskom Se Push (Free, Android, iOS) or another load-shedding tracker so you know when the blackout’s coming. Then, when you’re on schedule, make sure all your devices are fully charged, your downloads are done, and all updates are installed before…

What are you going to do about it,” Eskom cried. “Make your own damn power?!” “Yes,” the country replied. “We’ll install generators!” Here’s how you can join the revolution while keeping the home fires er… burning Deja vu Remember, in 2008 when load shedding first turned up and we thought it was done and dusted? Remember, in 2015, when it came back and we were all surprised? Remember how, in 2019, load shedding rocked up again? If it does go away (again), suspiciously close to a national election (or a pandemic, as it happens), you can be assured that load…

We’ve seen Lego tackle all sorts of themes of late — because that’s where the money is. The company’s previously given Mario a little space in the (blocky) sun but there’s something even better on the horizon: An NES Lego set. A huge NES Lego set. Such a tease https://twitter.com/LEGO_Group/status/1282646017616367616? Lego Group’s official Twitter account teased the new set earlier today, with a short clip showing the upcoming box of block in silhouette. But if you’re the sort who hates waiting, you’re in luck. The full box has been leaked already, by Hong Kong-based site VJGamer, who have spoiled the…

It seems a little strange to us that Samsung appears to be treating its flagship smartphones as test-beds for features that later roll out to… shall we say, less-capable handsets in the Galaxy range. Camera features were sent back in time last year, from Note 10 to the S10 range, and that’s becoming a pattern. One that Samsung fans might be keen on since the latest raft of improvements have come from Samsung’s Galaxy S20 handsets and are being given to the company’s midrange headliners: the Galaxy A51 and Galaxy A71. On camera The bulk of the new features concern…

Ask yourself, honestly, how many cellphone chargers you have at home. Unless you’re prone to losing them, odds are you’ve got a box of older cablers and charging blocks hiding somewhere in your house. Well, good news everyone! Samsung won’t be adding to that number in 2021, according to a report from Korean website ETNews. Sarcasm included In case it wasn’t obvious, we’re not entirely enthusiastic about the report. Samsung will apparently be leaving chargers out of the box for some smartphone models in 2021, the rationale being that it’ll make the handsets cheaper (and we desperately need that) and…

Samsung, confirming what we already know, has made the date official. Its next Unpacked event, which’ll be a 2020-mandated online-only affair, is taking place on 5 August this year. At the event will be… the Samsung Galaxy Note 20. That’s not speculation, because the South Korean tech giant has become predictable. Also, the official invitation hints at the Note 20’s stylus. Samsung only has one flagship with a stylus so unless there’s something very weird going on, it’s Note time. Everyone’s invited https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvFjP2ivZFw&feature=emb_logo Typically a Samsung launch is visible online, while there’s also a  physical event for the folks in…

LG’s Velvet 5G smartphone was supposed to turn up in SA a fair while ago but… well, you know how things are. Countries shut down, tech launches get pushed back, life happens. But things are resuming, slowly, which means we’re about to get a decent look at the likes of LG’s newest smartphone. Like, officially official. Just not live and in person, because that’s cancelled for 2020. Deja vu Only, since you’re reading Stuff, you already know a whole lot about what that phone entails. We’ve known since the mid-April that the LG Velvet 5G would feature an all-new design…