Author: Brett Venter

Amazon has mucked around with the idea of delivery via drone for years now. Following setbacks, the time has come for the online retailer’s aerial ambitions to expand. By which we mean that Amazon’s Prime Air service is expanding to more cities… in the States. South Africa’s not ready for this yet. The company’s announcement that Prime Air is heading to more American cities — almost 500, by the end of 2026 — could signal that drone deliveries are here to stay. Weather permitting. The online retailer calls it “a sixfold increase from its current footprint.” Skies over the Amazon…

The European Union might not be good for much, but something good has come out of the group. Sennheiser’s new Momentum 5 wireless earbuds have just been announced, and they include user-replaceable batteries. It’s not explicit, but the audio company is following requirements set by the EU. The same thing is happening with Nintendo’s Switch 2, with the effect likely travelling around the world. Either way, it boils down to replaceable batteries being a thing for both the ‘buds and the Momentum 5’s case. Maintaining Momentum 5 That’s not the main reason to be excited by Sennheiser’s newest, of course.…

Google has extended a free year of Google AI Plus (or Pro if you’re an American student) to qualifying students worldwide. The stated reason for this is “so students can make the most of this school year,” but Google isn’t really doing this out of the goodness of its corporate heart. The adage of ‘get them while they’re young’ applies to everything from the smoking industry to religion to social media. Scooping up new AI users can only help the internet giant’s figures, even if they’re not paying for their subscriptions. Eventually, they will. At least, that’s the hope. AI…

Huawei’s already got a wider version of its foldable smartphones. The newly unveiled Pura X View gives the company’s standard phones a similar treatment. All of the details haven’t been… well, detailed yet, but the Chinese company is still showing off the phone. And, if you’re a resident of Huawei’s home turf, the X View is also currently available for pre-order ahead of its 28 August unveiling. Next week, all of the Pura X View’s specs and features are set to be revealed. In the meantime, just look at how wide it is. Pura X View from the top That’s…

Humanoid robots are being trialled for jobs all over the place. Supcon, a Chinese company, is reported to have its own T2 humanoid already at work on the streets of Hangzhou. Unlike the ‘bots running stores, making cars, or moving luggage, the T2 is enforcing traffic laws. Sort of. It’s not likely to arrest anybody any time soon, but it’s supposedly telling petty criminals off. Supcon Information’s robot has been on the street since May this year, where it’s mostly looking for minor road infractions. T2: Judgement Day These include e-bike riders without helmets or carrying passengers they’re not supposed…

There aren’t many surprises left for the Galaxy S26 FE. That can only mean Samsung is about to either host an event or issue a press release. Turns out, it’s the former. The South Korean company has set the date for its Galaxy Event August 2026. If you’re free on 27 August, you can tune into Samsung’s latest reveal. The company is cagey on its announcement page, but the device is obvious. Unless Samsung launches an all-new smartphone category, there’s only the S26 FE left to announce. Spot the S26 FE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-kCaStA9dg Specifically, it’s the “newest addition to the Galaxy…

Earlier this year, Google said that side-loading apps to your Android device would get slightly more complicated. Now, according to a Reddit post by a company community engagement manager Mishaal Rahman, the changes are starting to roll out on phones and tablets. The company is calling the new process its “advanced flow,” which is marketing-speak for ‘making something that worked more inconvenient — because we can.’ Google has made a habit of that in recent years, so it’s not entirely unexpected. Google: how to do it There are no substantial changes to how side-loading will work on Android devices. As…

It’s not hard to find a palm-sized Bluetooth speaker for very little cash. The newest effort from Xiaomi at least attempts something new. The Chinese company has debuted its Bluetooth Speaker Magnetic Version on its own crowdfunding platform, where it has already (considerably) bypassed its funding target. When the hardware costs R500 or so (¥200), that’s not that hard to do. As the speaker’s name suggests, it’s got a magnet on the back. Less obvious, unless you glanced at the header image, is the fact that it’s designed to work as a phone stand as well as a speaker. Xiaomi…

Chinese robotics company Unitree just unveiled its initial public offering on the Shanghai stock market, and things are… going well. It probably has little to do with the new humanoid robot the company has teased, but debuting its new “Superman” bot probably didn’t hurt. The new robot doesn’t have an official name, but it’ll likely be a letter followed by a number once it’s official. For the meantime, Unitree is touting its athletic capability. Based on the 30-second teaser, the company isn’t kidding. Unitree is just… super https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7OkiZfIlS4 The company’s robot seems to support Unitree’s claims that it can reach…

A few months ago, ride-sharing service Uber seemed to have very big ambitions for Uber Moto. Moto is, or was, a limited pilot program testing whether motorcycles would work to ferry South African passengers. Now, though? It’s on hold while the company tabulates what has been learned from its Johannesburg test flight. In April this year, Uber general manager Deepesh Thomas was very optimistic about the future of Moto. At the time, he said that the service “could become a core engine for transportation and e-hailing in South Africa over the next decade.” Uber Moto cross? But those ambitions, and…