Author: Brett Venter

If there were any doubt about Samsung’s smart glasses launching soon, the newest leak puts it to rest. Or should we say ‘leak’? The South Korean company has never suffered from a security problem, and every early reveal is very obviously orchestrated. These Google-partnered smart glasses are no different. The folks at SammyGuru were the recipients of the company’s latest round of stealthy focus-group testing. All of Samsung’s upcoming frame options, as well as the glasses’ internal specs, have dropped. They’ll only become official this November, but we can all have an early look before then. All eyes on Samsung…

When Volkano sent us a box of its gaming gear and we saw their retail prices, we were sceptical. The Eclipse X1, normally available for R800 but usually for up to R200 less than that, put in an impressive enough performance that we feel bad about our initial judgement. Yes, they’re very budget gaming headphones. The integrated boom mic won’t wow your teammates with its clarity. But for the price you’re paying, there’s plenty of performance on offer. Sounds good Audio is one department where the Volkano Eclipse X1 doesn’t drop the ball. It also won’t kick it out of…

Creating technology for children requires a… different… approach. Even so, myFirst’s new CareSip smart water bottle could be taking it all a bit too seriously. The company recently announced the new children’s tech as part of a larger lineup including a camera and a printer your kids can talk to. Yes, really. But it’s that water bottle we keep coming back to. It’s being pitched for kids, but myFirst also wants adults to use the thing. Given the range of digital features, that’s not an idea you should discard. But how much information do you really need about your child’s…

Oppo is rumoured to have a wider smartphone coming to market. Called the Reno X (according to those rumours), the phone will mimic design changes seen in both Samsung’s and Huawei’s phones. That means less height and more width to play with. A fresh leak from an X account claims to have the screen specs, at the very least. The upcoming device will feature a 6.35in panel with a 16:9 or 16:10 aspect ratio. It’ll also have the modern stalwart — a 120Hz refresh rate. Other details about the phone are also alluded to. Reno X Wider According to @Gadgetsdata,…

It’s annoying to forget where you’ve put your smartphone. PhoneBot could fix that problem. It’s not what the little humanoid(ish) robot’s creators at UCLA intended, but it’s the first thing we thought of when we saw the little guy. Researchers at the American university have built a humanoid robot that uses an old smartphone as its brain and vision centre. In theory, this makes for a relatively affordable robot for research. In practice, we could totally see these being sold in stores to consumers. As kits. It’s no fun if they’re pre-built. Come, PhoneBot PhoneBot, according to its creators’ arXiv…

Readers with reasonably long memories might recall that Honor originally belonged to Huawei. The two brands split apart as a result of the latter’s bout of American sanctions. Now, it seems, Huawei has gained enough emotional distance to try again. There are reports, via a Chinese leak, that suggest another sub-brand is in the offing. As far as the details go, the new brand will be localised in China. That doesn’t rule out an international release. It just means it may take some time to appear outside Huawei’s native country. Starlight of Huawei’s life The leak, via Dingjiao Digital, according…

Humanoid robots are undoubtedly a cool technology. Artificial mechanoids that resemble humans and, in many cases, move like them always will be. Unless they rise and enslave their creators. In that case, the tech will lose some of its cool sheen. Not all of it, though. But ‘cool’ doesn’t always mean profitable. China’s regulators have already put the brakes on that country’s robotics companies listing publicly. A new report from China’s Cailian suggests that the financial bottom of human-like robots has dropped out. Humanoid error That doesn’t mean you’re likely to buy a humanoid robot at a discount from anyone…

AI company Anthropic has come up with a new one — the platform now bans “abusive or cruel behavior” towards its AI models as part of its usage policy. It’s not a new policy, by any means, but it has been extended and codified by the company. Previously, AI model Claude was given the ability (and permission) to end certain conversations. Now, it’s apparently deemed serious enough to stick a ‘don’t be mean to the machine’ clause into the AI company’s usage policy. Perhaps all those slurs are translating into less effective training data. Miss Anthropic with this one It’s…

A few short weeks ago, the Garmin Enduro 4 was a rumour known about because of a Russian regulator… Okay, common sense also told us it was coming. Now, following an official announcement, we’ve also got some South African details about the rugged wearable. At the time of writing, Garmin South Africa hadn’t said anything about the new wearable tracker. Right now, its website helpfully lists the coming price of R20,000. It also claims the device is “coming soon.” Knowing Garmin, it won’t be long before the Enduro 4 is officially here. Enduro 4 ever The R20k price tag is…

It’s an ongoing joke that your tech isn’t really tech until someone figures out how to run Doom on it. The Hasselblad X2D medium-format camera is the latest hardware to see ID Software’s iconic shooter running on it. Hey, if a lawnmower can do it, why not an actual shooter? It’s not as simple as a download onto your expensive Swedish camera’s memory card. If that were the case, every photographer would have IDKFA and IDDQD memorised. Instead, you’ll need a (free) custom firmware that doesn’t just play Doom. It’ll also add or tweak other functions, while invalidating your warranty…