Author: Brett Venter

Vivo’s V70 FE has been around for some time. We saw it launch in SA in April this year, where it came in a little under flagship pricing. That’s just as well, because it’s technically not a flagship. Vivo’s handset has ambitions in that direction, sure, but it’s also perfectly willing to make concessions to keep the price at a more attractive point. Now, a few months later, you can have the V70 FE for between R1,000 and R3,500 less than the original asking price. You’ll have to shop around, of course. Lower is always better, especially since it was…

There’s nothing like a vertical turntable on your wall to make you feel like you made tons of money on the stock market in the 1980s. Ruka’s TD-1, currently available for pre-order, reckons it’ll show off your meticulously curated vinyl collection while also retaining the quality you’d expect from a horizontal setup. At this price, it bloody better. The TD-1 can be pre-ordered from Ruka Studios for a measly R1,650 ($100), but you’ll be left with R21,150 to pay before the company will ship the thing. Once they’re all ready to go, of course. Entering the Ruka The TD-1 doesn’t…

Exactly how much do you love retro Nintendo gaming? The popular Analogue Pocket handheld has teamed up with Supreme, a company that is suddenly pulling the same sort of thing Caviar does. If R3,900 ($240) doesn’t strike you as enough money for a Game Boy clone, perhaps you would prefer to pay significantly more? When the information becomes available, at any rate. The team-up has only been announced for later this year. Pricing is still a mystery. So is how many units will be available. One thing is certain, though — it’s going to cost you. Supreme gaming How do…

The Honor Choice Headphones Pro, otherwise known as the Honor VZ Sport Mate Headphones Pro, are a highly budget set of over-ears from the Chinese brand. They’re priced towards the lower end of the spectrum. Unfortunately for bargain hunters, they’re built that way as well. You can pick a pair up for under a grand. Just… pay no attention to the Takealot listing markdown. There is no universe where Honor’s Choice Pro cans were ever worth R3,700. A thousand bucks is too expensive. We’d even prefer to see these closer to the R600 mark. That said, there is some upside.…

In the vein of the Kindle Scribe, Chinese brand Bigme hopes to tempt scribblers into buying its B1051 Ultra notepad. You’ll pay at least R8,100 for one of these units. Impressively, the company will ship one from its official store to South Africa, though there’s no telling what Customs will do when you order one. There are two versions of the package, one of which comes with a folio cover. The other (for R9,250) adds in a keyboard so there’s less need to scribble on the E-Ink display. Either way, there’s a stylus included so scribbling is encouraged. A better…

Leapmotor hasn’t made a massive impact on the South African driving scene since it launched last year, but perhaps its new B10 hybrid EV will change that. A R500,000 starting price is an attractive start, with the pricier version of the Chinese brand’s semi-EV going for R550,000 (plus extras). If you’re after a detailed (official) overview, though, you’ll have to wait until tomorrow. The company only has a page to let you “register your interest” live for South Africa for the present. Orders open tomorrow, on 18 August, so we expect the full product details to go live then, too.…

If you were asked to take the idea of robot dogs operating in space for human benefit ten years ago, you would be forgiven for thinking it’s another Netflix series concept. Now, though? It’s an entirely plausible use of technology. The South China Morning Post has just outlined what the Chinese space agency has in mind for robotic quadrupeds. Scientists at the China Academy of Space Technology reckon that robot dogs could feasibly perform several tasks in space, working alongside humans. Scouting missions, resource and sample collections, and even guard duty for lunar bases have all been put forward. Chinese…

There have long been rumours that Apple’s basic iPhone 18 would see a delayed launch this year. At the time, it was suspected to be a strategy shift to allow more space for a foldable iPhone in September this year. Now, though? The events are the same, but the reasoning is a little different. One of Apple’s vendors, Pegatron, seems to have confirmed the smartphone maker’s split launch plans. The vendor said in a recent earnings call that it was shifting focus to other projects, according to a report from Economic Daily News. The cause? The ongoing memory shortage is…

Heart Aerospace’s Heart X1 aircraft has just become, according to its creators, the largest fully battery-powered aircraft ever flown. Presumably, launching one of Tesla’s Semi’s off a cliff won’t count as ‘flight’. The Heart X1 demonstrator aircraft managed a flight and landing lasting 27 minutes. It did this while using less than R100 worth of electricity, said the company. We’ve got no idea how to check that, but assuming it’s true, it could make short flights cheaper. First, though, Heart Aerospace has to get beyond the ‘demonstration’ stage and begin flying real humans around. That’ll still take a while. I…

Samsung hasn’t met any tech it didn’t like. Its audio in particular has been leaping ahead. We’ve got theories about why that is, but the South Korean company wouldn’t like them much. Still, if it means more headphones to fiddle with, we’re not about to complain. A new rumour indicates that’s just what’s coming. And not in the company’s already excellent in-ear category, either. The folks at SamMobile have unearthed something in the Galaxy Wearable app suggesting we can expect over-ear headphones from Samsung soon. Samsung, can you over-ear me? As usual with an app leak, the information arises in…