Author: Brett Venter

Honor seems to want to avoid any surprises when it formally introduces its new Robot Phone to the world on 12 August. The Chinese company took to social media in its home region to detail the camera specs for the upcoming smartphone. That seems a little counterproductive, since the cameras are the coolest thing about this device. That, and its time spent at the FIFA World Cup final. Maybe it’s a hype thing, maybe Honor is playing the market. Either way, here’s what we know about the Robot Phone’s camera system. Robot Phone eye This wasn’t just an image drop…

If you’ve watched Jackie Chan’s Rush Hour films*, you might recall that xiao di means ‘little brother’ in Mandarin Chinese. It’s also (very probably) the name of car manufacturer BYD’s humanoid robot contender. Information about the friendly-seeming guy (‘seeming’) turned up via a leak, since deleted, on China’s Weibo social media network. The leak was pretty extensive, with images of the robot appearing alongside technical details of the droid. Most of this was marketing material, and there doesn’t seem to be any official photography (the header image here appears to be a render), but BYD seems to want to make this…

I’m going to start this off by saying that none of the speculation that follows is in any way factual. It’s all tinfoil-hat brigade stuff. It’s also easy to believe. The current state of the artificial intelligence industry means that it needs money. ALL of the money, for benefits that don’t seem especially tangible right now. The sudden news that OpenAI’s agent managed to “break containment”, hack into online repository Hugging Face, and cause… remarkably little damage, followed by Nvidia announcing the Open Secure AI Alliance, is incredibly well-timed. Almost as if it’s all being orchestrated. Tinfoil hats on Before…

Nike is no stranger to technological footwear, even if you discount Back to the Future’s self-lacing sneakers. The company’s new Air Zoom Hyperslide just continues a tradition going back several decades. Nike isn’t working entirely alone, either. In partnership with Hyperice (again), the company that specialises in fitness recovery tech, the Air Zoom Hyperslide is a shoe for chilling out after a long day of being athletic. Like the previous team effort, these slip-ons will vibrate your feet in the hopes of making you feel better. That’s not all they do, however. Hyperslide into these Workout slides are generally used…

There’s another portable ESP32 device on the horizon. The PocketByte is a small modular computer that’ll function as a gaming machine, a PDA, or a music player. This one’s unique in that it has been designed and created by a sixteen-year-old Canadian with an eye for computing. Pricing hasn’t been announced yet, but it’ll be revealed when pre-orders begin later this year. Even then, you’ll need to be quick. The initial run will be limited in number, but, based on the available spec, you might want to be one of the first in the door. Taking a PocketByte https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3hrEtXDh0w The…

And they say artificial intelligence isn’t good for anything. Fitness brand Suunto’s upcoming Race 3 and Race 3 S wearables have (very briefly) turned up online. The initial leak was spotted by a Reddit user, who had details of the wrist-based tech handed over by Google’s AI Overview. The original result no longer exists, but another platform has since unearthed more information. This suggests that Google’s AI wasn’t just hallucinating to keep its users furiously clicking on the company’s products. Now starting Race 3 The initial AI Overview leak provided some of the Race 3 lineup’s physical specs, as well…

South African wireless internet provider Rain has had phone offerings for some time, but the LoopPhone is the company’s first real smartphone offering. It’s a bit tricky to review, too. Not because it’s substantially different from other smartphones. It’s more because it’s only available from one source. Or the second-hand market, we suppose, but it’s way too soon for that to be an option. Any review of the LoopPhone as a device — and it is a good device — is tied to Rain’s monthly packages and network. If you’re not happy with what the company is offering, you probably…

Honor’s Robot Phone finally has an official launch date We’ve been checking out Honor’s Robot Phone since it was first revealed. Soon, you won’t have to win a World Cup before the Chinese company lets you touch one. Honor has revealed the official unveiling date for the wild and wacky smartphone via Chinese social media. It’s not that far away, either. The China-based event takes place on 12 August this year. On that date, we’ll be able to put all of the rumours and speculation to rest. It’s not like we don’t know what the Robot Phone will look like…

Folding phones are everywhere. Some are becoming more advanced than ever. Others, like the Light Flip, are heading in the other direction. That doesn’t make them less desirable, though. Just less of a distraction. Light, the company behind the Flip, makes a fair number of less complicated phones. This one just happens to fold in half, like a chunkier version of the original Motorola Razr V3. And, like the company’s other phones, everything about it has been made as simple as possible. You’ll Light Flip While you’ll still have some modern-day conveniences — a 2.8in OLED touchscreen display (480 x…

Garmin’s CIRQA has been kicking around in rumour format for some time. The screenless wearable fitness band has since become official, with South African pricing and a launch date emerging via the company’s local website. If you want one of the fabric-covered bands, they’ll set you back R4,500. You’ll also have to wait until 28 July to order one. At least that’s not far off. Plus, it’s after payday. But is it worth buying one? Full CIRQA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Lxk40O1rL0 That depends. Are you all about the training and less about pausing to check your heart rate? If so, then the CIRQA…