Author: Brett Venter

Given how far along the Artemis II mission is (smoking toilet and all), it’s a good time to check out the NASA Artemis Watch 2.0. It’s not made by the American space agency, of course, but it does have all the right branding. Creators CircuitMess have made sure of that. CircuitMess’ space-themed watch is extra-appropriate at the moment. The cyberpunk aesthetic merges with the current Artemis mission because buyers can choose to build the wearable themselves. Given how NASA’s astronauts have been repurposed into plumbers, a wearable you have to assemble makes sense. That includes the extra expense. On Artemis…

Parents have a new opponent in the war against excessive screen time — Netflix. The streaming company was already an antagonist, but the launch of Playground ups the stakes when it comes to keeping Junior and his sister away from smartphones. Netflix, obviously, doesn’t see Playground that way. As any business might, the streaming service is pitching the new “curated space where parents know kids are entertained, engaged, and enriched” as a good thing. Playground of the damned? It’ll probably be a good thing… for Netflix. The new kid-friendly addition will include a new “preschool and kids’ series, films, and…

We’re getting used to fully humanoid robots. Weirdly, a UK company called Humanoid’s first ‘bot, the HMND 01, is not one of those. It’s mostly humanoid, from the waist up, at least. Since the rest of its title is ‘Alpha Wheeled’, the bottom design makes sense. We suppose. Legs or not, the autonomous droid has already gone to work. Specifically, at a UK-based automotive factory for a company called Martur Fompak. They install car seats, for the most part. The HMND 01 spent some time on the company’s factory floor, where it functioned as a robotic factory worker proof-of-concept. HMND…

You might struggle to find one of Audi’s limited edition RS 3 vehicles, but the new RS 5 PHEV — the company’s “first high-performance plug-in hybrid’ — should be an easier proposition. Once it becomes available in South Africa, at any rate. That may take a while, though. The RS 5 PHEV has been announced for Europe so far, with a starting price of R2.08 million (€106,200) for the sedan model and R2.11 million (€107,850) for the RS 5 Avant. It’ll ship to that region this year, but South African availability isn’t known. Ride the lightning RS 5 Since it’s…

Price increases are on the horizon for several of Samsung’s smartphone lines. They’re already sitting in customers’ front yards if they happen to live in South Korea. Affected units include some models of the Galaxy Fold 7 and Flip 7, as well as the Galaxy S25 Edge. The price increase went into effect in Samsung’s native country yesterday, on 1 April. It’s an awful day to announce that retail prices are going up, but it seems that it had to happen. The move also suggests that costs are set to rise outside South Korea. Samsung goes up It’s not every version…

It’s been quite a while coming, but Artemis II has officially left Earth. The NASA mission is carrying four astronauts on the first lunar trip since 1972, when the last Apollo mission took place. That’s around a 54-year gap between ambitious exploration projects. The astronauts, three from NASA and one from the Canadian Space Agency, departed aboard NASA’s Space Launch System. Liftoff occurred at 06h35 AM Eastern Daylight Time (around 00h30 PM SAST), with the initial stages proving entirely successful. Artemis II invades space Artemis II will see the four astronauts travelling for ten days. It’s technically a lunar flyby, but it’s…

Would you look at that? It’s an all-new product category from Apple. We haven’t seen that in a while. The Apple MacBook Neo is a more affordable version of the company’s customarily high-quality hardware, with Stuff’s review unit being the base-model Indigo Neo. There are a few other shades — Silver, Citrus, and Blush — to choose from. At R12,000, the Neo is the machine that’ll put Apple in front of eyes that might otherwise look elsewhere. A few weeks ago, you might have snagged an M1 MacBook Air for not much more money, but they seem to have mysteriously…

Finally, some smartphone innovation. Even if it’s not likely to be particularly fast. The HiBreak Plus, a smartphone from BigMe, features an e-ink display, stylus support, and dual-SIM support, and is currently available for pre-order. The price tag? R4,300, or $250. And, unlike many of the wackier takes on your phone, this one ships directly to South Africa. Shipping is free; customs duties are your problem. They could be worth surmounting, based purely on the price tag. And the features, of course. HiBreak Plus reading BigMe hasn’t announced all of the phone’s details, but the big ones are mostly known.…

It’s been more than a decade since Stuff last used a Samsung laptop. The company still makes them, but it doesn’t sell them here. But, if you can somehow lay your hands on the company’s new Pro Keyboard and you already own the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra, you can make one. Or you could just head out and buy an entire laptop with the money it’ll cost you. Samsung’s Tab S11 Ultra will drain R27,000 from your bank account. Add the not-available-here Pro Keyboard, and you’ll bump that price up by another R6,800 ($400). Pro Keyboard user There’s no denying…

Cyberpunk 2077 is an excellent open-world RPG, even if it didn’t quite start out that way. If ever there was a game that should have some sort of VR component, it’s CD Projekt’s tale of Night City. Well, guess what? Yes, there’s a virtual reality version of 2077 on the way. Unfortunately, you won’t get to play it at home. Or in South Africa, though you’ll definitely wish you could. The title has teamed up with a company called Zero Latency VR to launch a warehouse-sized experience on “the world’s largest true location-based free-roam VR network.” That’s very Cyberpunk 2077…