Author: Brett Venter

We wouldn’t have guessed that increasingly small cameras would start turning up, but here we are. The Haru Mini Retro Camera, to give it its full title, is a very tiny compact shooter currently on sale in Japan. It joins the likes of Kodak’s Charmera, which we saw late last year, as a properly pocket-sized snapper. As you’d expect from something that’ll disappear in your palm, it’s not terribly expensive. The ¥5,800 price tag works out to a little over R600. Of course, since Haru’s little compact is only on sale in Japan for now, it’ll take some doing to…

The folks over at Xiaomi France accidentally leaked (and then deleted) the page for the Chinese company’s upcoming Xiaomi Tag. If the name and the available images aren’t enough of a clue, the teeny little gadget will be an answer to Apple’s AirTag. They’re technically cheap and easy to make, so it’s surprising that there aren’t more of these from official brands. Xiaomi’s effort will function on both Apple’s FindMy network and Google’s Find Hub. Bluetooth and NFC are the connection options. Tag. You’re it Even the pricing for the device, whether it’s bought as a single unit or in…

Wearables like the ones Huawei (and many other brands) make are designed for tracking. As much as possible, really. The Watch GT 6 Pro is about to get one more tracking feature, thanks to something the Chinese company calls Diabetes Risk Study. Announced at the World Health Expo in Dubai, the “24/7 blood sugar monitoring feature” has launched for the GT 6 Pro and Huawei’s rather more unusual Watch D2. The latter device also features blood-pressure monitoring as its main function. Huawei avoiding diabetes View this post on Instagram A post shared by Huawei Arabia (@huaweiarabia) Using a…

It’s the age of AI in Everything, which at least partly explains why Uber’s Uber Eats app is getting its very own AI assistant. It won’t order you tons of unsolicited pizza (though why that isn’t already a feature is beyond us), but it will help to speed up grocery lists. Cart Assistant promises to let users build grocery lists for purchase on the app in less time. The feature promises ” fewer taps and more time saved,” though exactly how much time is being saved isn’t clear. It could cut a once-a-week ten-minute job down to just seconds, provided…

There’s something about the humble walkie-talkie that activates certain neurons. The folks at Blackview seem to know this, which is why they’ve come up with the Xplore 1. That’s a smartphone that features a decent set of regular features, plus one extra — a functional walkie-talkie. It’s not just an afterthought, either. The Xplore 1 uses a two-in-one dual-band antenna and supports AES encryption. Pair that with a range of twenty kilometres, and you’ve got a smartphone that’ll work just about anywhere (provided there’s another ‘talkie within hailing range). In town, though, expect a range closer to 4.5km. It’s all…

Plenty of noise in the humanoid robotics space is coming from China of late. There’s a little in the US and some in Russia, but we weren’t expecting to hear about Italy-based Generative Bionics’ Gene.01 in relation to working on manufacturing ships. Generative Bionics has announced a new partnership with Italian shipbuilders Fincantieri, which will see the pair developing an autonomous humanoid robot intended to work alongside human welders. Fincantieri certainly seems keen on an AI/robotics-focused future, if the company’s website is any indication. The selfish Gene.01? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYRz1uIIpwQ And so are Generative Bionics, even if we have yet to see…

Companies often file trademarks for things they might do. When a company like Huawei files for a mark like Huawei Energy, though, it’s heavily suggestive of the Chinese firm having yet another direction to explore. That direction could, if the trademarks for Huawei Energy and Huawei Digital Energy are awarded (and probably even if they’re not), involve power solutions in addition to the company’s heavy enterprise presence. According to a report, the company’s new trademarks “are awaiting substantive examination.” Big Huawei Energy If we do see new Huawei spin-offs, they could involve battery storage, green energy, and even vehicle batteries,…

Seiko and Sega’s upcoming wristwatch collaboration won’t make you move as quickly as the game company’s iconic mascot. But you might need Sonic-like reflexes to strap one of these limited edition timepieces to your wrist. We say ‘might’ because, while these are commemorative pieces and are probably going to be in short supply, we don’t know exactly how many of each model Seiko will produce. But you’ve at least got until the October shipping date to get your pre-order in, with the possibility that purchases from the Japanese store will ship overseas too. You’ll have to make some effort on…

It’s taken long enough, but Samsung has finally made its Galaxy S26 Unpacked event date (and time) official. The event kicks off on 25 February, as expected based on prior ‘leaks’, but we may not be watching this one live. Samsung is hosting the event in San Francisco, where most software nerds like to hang out, so the rest of the world is beholden to American time zones. Here at home, the Galaxy S26 unveiling will take place at 23h00 on 25 February. Come on, Samsung. That’s a school night. The Galaxy S26 is late https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NjfXL1u7x4 A very brief teaser…

Olympus cameras disappeared for a time, only to reappear as OM System cameras. Now, the resurrection is starting to produce some really interesting photography hardware. Anyone can make a point-and-shoot, after all. Not everyone will make a point-and-shoot-the-stars, and even fewer will allow you to look in the other direction. That’s just what the new OM-3 Astro and TG-7 Industry do. The first (obviously) is a version of OM System’s standard OM-3, optimised for astronomy purposes. The second is a little wilder, being a 12MP compact camera designed for photographing the view through a microscope. We’re not going to ask…