Author: Brett Venter

Samsung announced its Galaxy Tab S10 FE lineup at the beginning of last month with little local fanfare. That was expected, since South Africa wasn’t on the initial launch list. That has changed, with the new lot of ‘affordable’ Android tablets making landfall here at last. And pricing isn’t particularly ridiculous either. We expected them to match the Galaxy Tab S9 FE in terms of pricing. Samsung, somehow, is launching the new range for less than the expected R13,000 starting price. Control alt Tab S10 FE Part of this might be limited launch pricing, which also sees buyers snagging either…

Isn’t Apple acting more like Samsung one of the warning signs of the apocalypse? Regardless, a report from The Information suggests that could be where the company is headed. According to several supply chain sources that spoke to the outlet, the iPhone maker may be splitting up its smartphone release schedule. The iPhone Pro lineup would stick to the September announce/release schedule, with the more ‘basic’ devices waiting until early the next year. Unpacking Apple That’s similar to what Samsung does with its biannual Unpacked events, which keep different phone lineups separate in the hopes of supporting quarterly results (and keeping…

If you’re rocking a large student loan for an Arts degree in 2025, you might wonder why you didn’t opt for a trade. Google has a dire need for electricians in the States, and the company has offered to pay for their training. Try getting a better deal from your student finance office at a university. It’s not a small number of sparkies either. Google hopes to get 130,000 people up to speed as part of its efforts to power AI — 100,000 electricians and 30,000 apprentices. Google how to do it Placing artificial intelligence onto every electronic device known…

Agatha Christie is one of the world’s most enduring mystery fiction writers. Her books remain in print, the movies keep Kenneth Branagh employed, and now Christie herself is back to teach writers, courtesy of the BBC. Well, courtesy of the BBC and artificial intelligence (AI), since Christie died in 1975. But, like a character in one of her novels, she has returned from the dead. This time, it’s less of a mystery. The BBC’s Maestro-stroke As part of the British broadcaster’s Maestro service, which offers lessons from Harlan Coben (writing), Brian Cox (acting), Alan Moore (storytelling), and Marco Pierre White…

If you thought you were missing something from Samsung’s Galaxy S-series phones’ new artificial intelligence features, never fear. The Galaxy A lineup, stretching back to the Ax4 models, is gaining similar functionality. Retroactively, via a software update. Owners of the Galaxy A56 5G, A55 5G, A54 5G, A36 5G, A35 5G, A34 5G, A26 5G, A25 5G, A25e 5G or A24 smartphones will soon see the side/camera button repurposed in much the same way the Galaxy S has done it — with AI foremost in mind. It won’t be right away — updates begin from May this year — but…

If you’ve been holding off on a new EV because you’re waiting for more of a workhorse, it could be worth waiting for the Isuzu D-Max EV 1 to get here. Initially shown as the D-Max EV prototype at the Bangkok International Motor Show last year, the production version has hit assembly lines in Thailand with a first launch expected later this year. The only catch is that the South African market won’t see it until 2026, with official confirmation still pending on its actual arrival. The current production run for the new Isuzu EV bakkie is limited to left-hand…

Finally, a BMW where the indicators are intended to be optional. The German automaker has revealed its newest track car, the M2 Racing. Rather than allowing its owners to nip through traffic with reckless abandon, the M2 Racing allows the same behaviour where it belongs. On a track with other people who can afford their doubtless high insurance premiums. The tricky bit? You’ll have to wait for BMW’s 2026 season to use one, since that’s when this vehicle “will offer private customer teams around the world a new entry point into racing.” M2 Racing for the front The awesome bit?…

Perplexity AI is expanding beyond an app and web page to an entire web browser. The coming Comet browser, built on the same Chromium platform used for Google’s own Chrome offering, hopes to keep users in a single place and in the thrall of a single AI overlord. If that fails, at least the company will get to serve some ads. That’s according to Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas, speaking to the TBPN podcast. Comet incoming Comet: A Browser for Agentic Search by Perplexity Coming soon. pic.twitter.com/SwVSwudgtN — Perplexity (@perplexity_ai) February 24, 2025 “That’s kind of one of the other reasons…

Head to any South African 4×4 gathering and you’ll find a range of opinions about the Land Rover Defender. It has its critics and its proponents, but folks on both sides will probably agree that the new Classic Defender V8 Soft Top is one good-looking piece of off-road hardware. The design harks back to the 20th’century (feel old yet?) when rugged ‘Rovers ranged the African savannah. You know the stereotype — Pith helmets, impressive facial hair, monocles, those now-vintage Porro prism binoculars. Picture that with modern conveniences and a 5.0-litre V8 engine. Defender of the realm Using the same chassis…

Generally, folks who use WhatsApp use it to speak to people they know. That’s not always the case, particularly for people who use the Business version to talk to potential customers. Global reach (your mileage may vary) means communication issues. Unless the app can automatically translate queries… That’s just what is rolling out to beta users of Meta’s messaging behemoth. Users can download language packs, much like they would with an offline map or alternative languages in a document suite, and have the app automatically translate queries in that language. WhatsApp, por favor The feature isn’t for every WhatsApp user,…