Author: Brett Venter

Regulatory filings have accounted for several recent Garmin leaks, and this one is no different. Okay, it’s slightly different. Instead of an Indonesian regulator, the existence of the company’s new Enduro 4 and Tactix 9 lineup has appeared via Russia. The folks at Gadgets and Wearables spotted the EAEU Declaration of Conformity from Russia listing a large quantity of Garmin’s wearable tech. Two names really stood out, because they’re not on the market just yet. Technically, there are three names. Two versions of the Tactix 9 were spotted. Garmin displays Enduro Tactix Those would be the Tactix 9 and the…

Joby Aviation, a company that would dearly love to handle flying taxis, has been fairly rigorous about its testing lately. Its newest feat, according to the company, was to fly a plane across the United States without a pilot at the yoke. See, plenty of airplanes spend time in the air without a human controlling them. Pilots still take over when there are hazards or when it’s time to land the plane, though. Joby’s latest excursion still had a pilot onboard, but “autonomous taxiing, takeoffs, route navigation, and landings” were remotely handled throughout. Get a Joby It doesn’t appear that…

The American military, specifically the country’s Air Force Secretary Troy Meink, has confirmed that it has space-based weapons in orbit around the planet. Exactly what form those weapons take, the country has yet to say. It’s not likely to, either. Meink, speaking at the Air, Space & Cyber Conference at the beginning of this week, explained that the US continues “to ensure we remain ready to meet the challenges of evolving threats, wherever they exist. This is why the United States now has on-orbit space control weapons capable of defending the joint force against hostile adversary action.” Space for military…

The Tshwane University of Technology’s (TUT) Sunchaser 4 has headed out on yet another solar-powered expedition. The student-built vehicle has just won the annual Sasol Solar Challenge, a race from Sasolburg in the Free State to Franschhoek in the Western Cape. The solar-powered car, partially backed by automaker Ford in South Africa, completed the eight-day, 2,500km trip in first place. It’s not nearly as convenient as making the same trip by gas-powered BMW. For starters, the weather has to play along. As is usual for these, it didn’t. SunChaser 4: The finish A combination of cool, hot, and overcast conditions…

Wearable AI tech has almost uniformly proved disastrous. A company called Persona is making an AI-focused wristband that it hopes will sidestep this trend. Whether it’ll prove more compelling than the Humane AI pin or anything that Rabbit has done remains to be seen. But plenty of folks are willing to give it a shot. The company’s wearable at least has 2026’s aesthetic down. It’s a fabric-covered band with minimal visual interaction. Side views of the tech show that it looks an awful lot like a watch face underneath. Customers are going nuts over screen-less tech right now, so hiding…

It’s time for another issue of Stuff to magically appear on a digital or physical shelf near you. The secret to the Sept-Oct-Nov 2026 issue of Stuff Magazine, as ever, is people. People you don’t see but are probably at least dimly aware of. The main thrust of this issue is doing your work (and taking your breaks) everywhere you happen to find yourself. But there are also a few other elements tucked into these pages.  But, really, it’s all about setting up your computing work — whatever that happens to be — anywhere. The biggest drawback of using a…

It used to be that folks would pay to read. Now, governments like Singapore’s are looking to pay citizens (and kids) to take up the habit again. The country has launched a new five-year campaign to convince its residents to read more. Pay of that convincing is in the form of monetary return. Don’t start packing your bags and a selection of good books with plans to earn cash by doing what you love, however. The city’s campaign only pays a daily pittance, and participants can only clock in fifteen minutes of reading once a day towards it. Over the…

When the SNES console was released, the folks at Nintendo probably never expected anything like the SupaBoy to come along. Gaming brand Hyperkin has announced two new entries in the gaming handheld market, with Crimson and Prime versions of the R2,200 ($150) handheld currently up for pre-order. What makes the SupaBoy handhelds unusual is that they integrate and play original SNES/Famicon cartridges. It’s more or less the same experience as the classic console, only with a little screen between the era-appropriate controller’s buttons. SupaBoy Prime There’s a 4.3in IPS LCD handling 16-bit visuals for players. Hyperkin reckons that its rechargeable…

Japanese company GMO AI & Robots has put some thought into a new service that’s really obvious once someone points it out. Humanoid robots will require repair services frequently, especially once they’re out in the world. To that end, the company is launching the “first dedicated maintenance vehicle for humanoid robots” this month. It’ll obviously operate in Japan, one of the few Asian countries with humanoid robots already in working roles. According to GMO, its vehicles will “provide on-site support in case of breakdowns and troubles [while] building a new infrastructure for the social implementation of humanoid robots.” GMO’s not…

South African mobile service provider Vodacom really wants Comic Con Africa 2026 attendees to stop by their stand in Hall 5 when the event kicks off on 24 September. So much so that the entity is promising prizes and giveaways for qualifying visitors. You’ll notice the word ‘qualifying’ in that last sentence. It’s not enough to stop by Vodacom World at Stand E522 in Hall 5 from 24 to 27 September. You’ll also have to give the company a little cash, one way or another. Do it right, and you’re in the running for its World of Collectables augmented reality…