Author: Brett Venter

Tonight’s the night that Samsung unveils its all-new phablet-sized Galaxy Note 10. Which means that a large leak turning up right about now might spoil the party somewhere. Well, there’s a spoiler warning in effect, as Samsung’s own marketing materials have cropped up online. The short version? We’ve got two new Notes incoming — the Galaxy Note 10 and the Galaxy Note 10+. One of em’s bigger. The folks over at Droid Life managed to get their hands on a Samsung presentation that spills most of the beans concerning the company’s freshest devices. Not that it’s made a whole lot…

LG’s teasing what appears to be a triple-screen smartphone, which will be unveiled at this year’s IFA in Berlin. But, before you got all ‘LG’s got a folding phone’ on us, it looks as though the additional displays will appear courtesy of a smartphone case. Or a design that makes the device look like it’s got a smartphone case on. 

A mint-condition Datsun 160Z will net you a substantial amount of cash from the right person. Heck, even a rusted-to-crap 160Z will find an interested buyer. It’s folks like those who should check out the newly open-to-the-public Datsun Heritage Museum in Bothaville, Free State. 

Unless you do a fair bit of business in the sort of Information Technology that involves paying someone very expensive to keep it all going, that is. But you might hear more about the Japanese multinational, if the successful test of its new passenger drone is any indication. 

We’ve got another couple of Bluetooth speakers up for grabs, this time a pair of UE Boom 3 speakers from Ultimate Ears. We like the sound of that. Except for the bit where we’re not eligible to enter. But hey, that means better odds for all of you. 

In this week’s Light Start, the Channel is crossed, AI takes on knitting, we indulge in some Console Wars (later), and check out some Little Monsters.

Fitbit’s Versa smartwatch/fitness tracker impressed us right out of the gate, though we were less taken with the sequel. The next entry in the franchise promises to do better, though, as Fitbit’s next Versa has leaked online. The highlight? A new AMOLED display, some design changes, and support for Amazon’s Alexa. Looks like we might have to get that Echo tech after all.

It’s not a good time to be either LG or Sony. Both companies have recently reported declines in smartphone sales. LG’s sales for the most recent quarter declined 21% compared to its performance this time last year, while Sony has an even worse time. Worse to the tune of 30% fewer smartphones sold for the quarter, year-on-year. According to LG, “slow sales of 4G premium models and intense market competition in mass-tier products” were to blame for the company’s drop in performance. We’re not sure about the first point there but the company’s not wrong on the second. The high-end…

If you’re a fan of zombie games, now might be a time to rejoice. Unless you’re also aware of what games based on films (specifically those timed to the film’s launch) are usually like. Cult zombie flick Zombieland’s sequel, Zombieland: Double Tap, is getting its own video game adaptation. Called Zombieland: Double Tap – Road Trip, players will get to experience it on 15 October on the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC, and Switch. And, honestly, it’s the launch date that worries us. And that’s because there hasn’t been a single game-to-movie tie-in title that hasn’t sucked horribly. We’re not…

The Japanese company has reached a new milestone for the PlayStation 4. That is, selling 100 million consoles over its lifetime. In doing so, Sony’s knocked aside both Nintendo’s Wii and its own PlayStation 2 for the time taken to achieve this target.