Author: Brett Venter

If you’ve been looking for something new in the realm of TV tech, Samsung’s new Micro RGB panels could be just what you’re after. The South Korean company has debuted its first 115in premium television using the proprietary technology, calling it “a new benchmark for color accuracy, contrast and immersive viewing in the ultra-premium TV segment.” The last few words in that quote above heavily suggest that this TV won’t be cheap. That’s fairly obvious, since a 115in screen takes a fair chunk of delivering, with installation chewing up even more of your capital. The bonus of new TV technology…

The Beyerdynamic Aventho 100 on-ear headphones landed on our desks with no notice at all, accompanied by a selection of the German audio-maker’s other headphone tech — so expect more assessments soon. We opted to focus on the brand’s newest headphones, though we have a few older (but new in South Africa) models to explore in the coming weeks. As with its competitor brand Sennheiser, the prime focus for the Aventho 100 over-ears is audio quality. If that’s what you’re concerned with and you have R5,000 in your bank account doing nothing, skip right to the verdict. Unless, that is,…

If you thought Google was done stuffing its AI technology into everything it owns (and a few things it doesn’t), you were dreaming. Google Finance, a web-based app for folks who saw The Wolf of Wall Street as a shining example of good behaviour, and reckon The Big Short and Moneyball are all about the spreadsheets (seriously, those are all great movies), is about to experience its own AI overhaul. Google intends to give Finance users access to AI features when making financial decisions, with a dedicated chatbot available to answer queries that they might have about where to spend…

China’s AI industry has suffered a similar fate to Huawei’s smartphone component supply chain, with manufacturers like Nvidia and AMD barred from selling chips in the region. That’s about to change, according to American officials. GPU makers Nvidia and AMD will be permitted to resume sales to Chinese customers, on the condition that they share 15% of the revenue generated from these sales with the US government. This is a condition that these companies have agreed to, says an unnamed US official speaking to Reuters. Nvidia’s sales, China A spokesman for the world’s most valuable company talked around the revenue-sharing…

Unitree’s Stellar Explorer robot dog might be the stuff nightmares are made of, but a pair of others, along with a robot called Rollin’ Justin, have just put in a stellar performance of a different kind. Two robotic canines, Spot and Bert, were recently tested in a joint effort that simulated a Martian environment. That robot dogs can traverse rocky ground is not surprising, but giving them commands and controlling their movements from orbit is another matter. Robot dogs need space Four robots and a NASA astronaut on the International Space Station took part in the latest Surface Avatar test…

Tesla’s Cybertruck could soon be the target of United States Air Force missiles, according to contracting documents released online and found by TWZ. The country’s Air Force Test Center (AFTC) is searching for two of Tesla’s oddly-shaped pickup trucks to roll onto a missile range, alongside some thirty other vehicles being sought. You could be snarky about it being a good use for the Cybertruck, but the US Air Force sees the vehicle as a potential battlefield threat. It’s in good company — the Toyota Hilux has been the subject of several military retrofits, including one by Turkish company Roketsan…

You might think that Unitree’s new A2 Stellar Explorer robot dog has cribbed its name from a space program, but that’s because, up until a couple of days ago, it was known as the A2 Stellar Hunter. The name has likely changed to make its advanced capabilities seem less threatening. It hasn’t worked. If anything, it has made the robot quadruped even more terrifying. Folks like Boston Dynamics have been at pains to make their four-legged robots seem benevolent and helpful, mostly because that’s good PR. The truth is that while they can be used that way, they can also…

Any South African drivers with around R4 million burning a hole in their pocket can now pick up the Corvette Stingray without venturing over to the brand’s Kentucky (formerly Michigan) headquarters. CVH Auto Group is bringing the vehicle, as well as the Corvette ZR6, into the country. It’s not surprising that the Johannesburg-based CVH is responsible for this particular entry. The company also handles Masterati sales for South Africa, meaning you’ve got your choice of American or Italian sports cars when you amble into their showroom. Drivers, buy your engines! The announcement isn’t accompanied by much information about the vehicles…

Duolingo, the app that failed to teach everyone French and German during the 2020 Covid lockdown, is welcoming a new member to its nocturnal avian family. The company has announced that it is acquiring NextBeat, a UK-based mobile gaming startup specialising in music licensing. If you have to ask ‘why’, then you haven’t been paying attention. The language learning app has branched out in recent years, offering customers everything from chess to math lessons, with a brief stopover in the world of musical instruments. One of the newer additions is music lessons. Making notes for Duolingo Exactly how the acquisition…

Google reckons that if you’re a website owner and have seen a recent dip in traffic — the kind that normally comes via search engines — it’s got nothing to do with AI Overviews. Company vice president and head of Search, Liz Reid, said in a Google blog post that “third-party reports […] inaccurately suggest dramatic declines in aggregate traffic,” claiming that, according to the company’s data, search traffic from Search remains the same as it was last year. The missive is likely in response to research conducted by the Pew Research Center, which found that AI Overviews and similar…