Author: Brett Venter

Artificial intelligence needs training data. Lots and lots of training data. And, as it turns out, there isn’t enough of it to go around. Well, there wasn’t. Companies working in the AI space are increasingly looking for creative ways to dump more information into their models. The most recent (and glaring) example of this is a new Reuters report that claims Meta is planning to harvest everything its workers do as training data. The planned software is essentially an advanced keylogger. Everything an employee does for the company — typing, emails, mouse movements, goofing off — will be captured and…

Customisable tech is an interesting concept. The newest version of something like this (that doesn’t end in ‘Pi’) is the T-Watch Ultra from a Chinese company called Lilygo. Odds are good you’ll find these on various import platforms, but the main sales portal is AliExpress. The price? Around R1,850, including shipping to South Africa. What you’re getting is a rugged-looking smartwatch with a series of custom functions. It’s up to buyers to make this wristwear do what they want it to — within limits, of course. What T-Watch today Unlike the CircuitMess DIY wearable, there’s little construction needed for the…

Chinese company Xpeng is extremely ambitious. Its recent humanoid robot outing displayed highly detailed, human-like movement (and a slight technical glitch). Its flying car project, which has been in the works longer, could take to the skies just after its droids head to market. Xpeng-sive venture The company’s president, Brian Gu, speaking to Reuters, believes that Xpeng’s flying vehicles will enter production in 2027. Its humanoid robots, on the other hand, are supposed to become available towards the end of this year. Production of the first of its units, for which Xpeng has more than 7,000 orders, likely won’t wind…

Robots have handed human runners a spanking, and now it’s the ping-pong folks in the firing line. Almost literally, in the case of Sony’s Project Ace robot. Unlike Honor’s Lightning, Sony’s robot isn’t a humanoid. It’s unlikely to run down a road whacking people with a table-tennis paddle any time soon. From a showcase video Sony released on YouTube, its Ace robot has more in common with your everyday printer (3D or paper) when it comes to its operation. A high-speed arm zips back and forth on its side of the table, returning balls to a human opponent with extreme…

It’s a good day for educational tablets, provided you don’t mind them only being available overseas. Xiaomi’s Redmi Pad 2 Pro has gained a new Learning Edition version, which, like Samsung’s new announcement, adds a few extras. These extras are similar to, but not quite, the kind of thing you’d get from a kiddies tablet. There’s a special case, but it’s less worried about impacts. There’s also special software, but it’s aimed at the sort of person with more prefrontal cortex development. Pad 2 Pro: Beijing Drift You don’t have to wait for Xiaomi to launch this version of the…

As expected, Huawei’s Pura X Max has turned up in all of its widescreen glory. The Chinese company announced the phone for its local market earlier this week. As with most Huawei products, it’ll likely leave China for other locations in the next few months. Admiring the folding smartphone from afar isn’t a problem either. The display is broad enough that we can make out the subtitles from here. Okay, fine, it’s not quite that stunning — the internal screen is still just 7.7in in size. But the change in aspect ratio could be attractive for many users. Pura X…

Samsung has a new Galaxy Tab A11+ Kids Edition on the way to market, and it has already launched overseas. The device isn’t dissimilar to the standard Wi-Fi version already available in South Africa. Technically, you could create your own version of it by installing a bumper case and some kid-friendly software. Samsung’s version is a bundle affair, with a protective case and kid-sized stylus included, as well as a custom software environment. It’s also set to be pricier than the R5,800 Tab A11+ due to these extras. Pay the Tab A11+ So far, we’ve only found a reference to…

Over the weekend, Honor’s Lightning humanoid robot beat the human record for a half-marathon. Any student of science fiction would be forgiven for thinking that the robotic future is here. Heck, even fantasy fans have been exposed to the idea that robotic workers would be a disaster for human labour. Terry Pratchett’s Feet of Clay and Making Money both tackle the idea from different perspectives. In the first, golems are favoured as employees because they don’t argue, have a high initial cost but never stop working, and do the jobs that humans don’t like. Even the idea that these robot…

Xiaomi has just announced a new Redmi Pad SE 2 tablet for the Chinese market, with strong odds that it’ll make its way over here in due course. The major question is: which version of the Redmi Pad SE will it replace? The cheaper 8.7in version or the more costly 11in? It’s a tough call because the sequel sits in between those two in terms of size, but adds a 120Hz refresh rate. It also bumps up battery capacity. Is the new Redmi Pad SE 2 replacing both? That seems like a more likely conclusion.  Check out my new Pad…

There’s no arguing with the fact that Samsung routinely puts out the best Android phone of the year. This year, that’s the Galaxy S26 Ultra. Last year, it was the S25 Ultra. The year before that, it was the S24 Ultra. The clue is in the name. But here’s the tricky bit — all three of those phones… aren’t terribly different. In terms of pure physics, each handset is the quickest of the year. The cameras are better. But almost everything you’ll encounter is such a minor step down that Samsung might as well be copying its own homework. The…