Author: Brett Venter

Another cycle has been completed and it’s time for an all-new issue of Stuff. June-July 2023 promises to be a cold one and it’s all the colder because… well, you know why. We’ll get to that in a moment. First, it’s time for a brief look what Stuff is packing in this issue. As usual, there’s loads to see, much to learn, and plenty to lust over. We’ve tested some of the latest gear to issue forth from the tech industry, from the Sonos Era 300 to Huawei’s new smartwatch/earbuds hybrid. The latter is, perhaps surprisingly, rather slick.   Now it’s…

Earlier today, Stuff got a chance to slip behind the wheel of the new Volvo C40 Recharge, soon to land on South African shores for the princely sum of R1,285,000. That’s not small change but Volvo’s vehicles typically hover close to that point, even if the gas guzzlers are technically more affordable. But you’re buying a completely different thing if you’re opting for an EV and the Volvo C40 Recharge is no different. It looks like a Volvo. It smells like a Volvo. But it’s actually a surprisingly stealthy ninja car that’ll confuse anyone you happen to drive past. It…

South Korean company Samsung showed off some of its next-generation display technology at the SID Display Week held in Los Angeles this week. Among the new tech on offer was something called Rollable Flex and then a screen type called the Sensor OLED display. Rollable Flex is designed to “revolutionize the portability of tablet PCs or laptops”. You might reckon, based purely on the name, that it’s at least partially along the lines of LG’s similarly-named screen tech. You’d be… completely correct. Samsung’s feeling Sensor-tive More on that in a moment, however. Samsung’s Sensor OLED display is the really interesting…

It was just a couple of months ago that Neuralink was said to be seeking a partner to begin human trials of its brain-computer interface. There was just one little problem with the technology — a lack of approval to begin those trials. That has changed, according to the company. Elon Musk’s company has secured FDA approval for human trials, setting the stage for the company to install computers into human skulls. Small computers, obviously. Neuralink to the future We are excited to share that we have received the FDA’s approval to launch our first-in-human clinical study! This is the…

Load shedding is the bane of South Africans. And with what feels like a murderously cold winter approaching, adding the Anker 535 Portable Power Station (to give it its full title) to your arsenal sounds like a plan. It won’t warm your home — it’s not rated for that — but it’ll at least keep you entertained enough that you won’t think about how blue you’re turning. Backup power solutions, like cameras, really depend on what you have on hand. Anything is better than nothing when the lights go out. Just have a little power bank for charging your smartphone?…

If you’re a fan of Lego — and many are overly fond of the Danish plastic brick brand — and fit into one of two other geeky subcultures, you’re in for a treat next month. The company is launching something new for fans of retro gaming and interplanetary travel come June. Specifically, fans can expect two weighty new sets to drop. One is a semi-functional Pac-Mac arcade machine and the other is a Technic replica of NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover. You know, the one that dropped off that Martian helicopter we’re all so impressed with? Lego of my bank account…

Nokia devices have always had a certain sort of charm. They weren’t the flashiest things around but they were among the most desirable. Tablets like the Nokia T10 prove that little has changed since the company’s first cellular phone rolled out of the factory in 1992. If you’ve been paying attention over the last decade, you’ll know that’s not strictly true. But history has a way of travelling in circles, especially if there’s money involved. In this specific case, money’s a factor but there’s not all that much of it. That’s good for you, if you’re in the market for…

Tesla announced, back in 2022, that it would be bringing a humanoid robotic assistant to market some time in… well, the future. Optimus, so named because Elon Musk loves a pop culture reference, was supposed to have a working prototype out towards the end of 2022. It hasn’t turned up but it’s moving along. Literally. Tesla shared a brief update video showing the Optimus robot’s current state of development. They’re presently able to shamble around like the cast of The Walking Dead but with, if that’s possible, even less life in them. What would Tesla say? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiQkeWOFwmk As with many…

There’s a term that you don’t often hear when it comes to Asus’ Republic of Gamers (ROG) brand. Affordability. That’s what the ROG Cetra True Wireless gaming earbuds hope to provide. If you thought that a set of wireless gaming earbuds would find some way to jam in a little RGB action to boot, you’re absolutely right. We’ll get to all that in a moment, however. What you’re looking at here is a set of really quite affordable in-ears with active noise cancelling. You don’t need to be a gamer to consider a pair. In fact, it might be better…

South Africa is ahead of its climate emissions targets. But, as with many occurrences in the twenty-first century, it’s somewhat of a left-handed gift. In order to have emissions, you need industry. For industry to function, electricity is required. You can probably see where this is going. That’s correct, Eskom is the reason South Africa is ahead of its 2025 climate target. The country’s coal-burning power stations are spending loads of time inoperable, reducing the country’s carbon footprint. Then, up to ten hours of outages a day also limits how much factories and other entities are able to emit carbon…