Author: Brett Venter

Oh fitness gear, why do you torment us so? Why can’t we just wallow in our torpor without having something telling us just how lazy we’re being, like bosses and exercise bands are wont to do? But we made the sacrifice and got away from our notebook, game console, computer and couch for long enough to give Garmin’s vivofit a nice, lengthy test. Now, if you’ll excuse us, it’s time for us to have a lie down. [two_third] The Band Day One – Strapping on the vivofit, we’re feeling more energetic already. This feeling won’t last. First order of business, get the…

Soon we’re going to be buried under a deluge of smartwatches from the likes of Google, Motorola, LG, Samsung (though that one’s started already – go Tizen, you can do it!) and probably Apple. These wearables are going to tear a meaty chunk of of the fitness wearables market and swallow it whole, since they’re going to include many of the features of the dedicated fitness wrist adornments from the start. But that is not this day, which is why we’re peering into your options when it comes to getting off the couch and moving around at speeds that cannot…

The Wikimedia Foundation, through its Wikipedia Zero initiative, is trying to encourage mobile operators to waive the data charges associated with accessing Wikipedia so that anyone with a mobile phone can access the free, crowd-created and –edited, online encyclopaedia. The Foundation has launched an online petition to support the project. Wikipedia Zero is currently available in 29 countries through 24 operators, many of which have offered the service since 2012. In Africa, this includes Botswana, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Niger, Tunisia and Uganda on the Orange network, Kenya and Nigeria via Airtel’s networks, and South Africa…

It’s time for Microsoft to reveal which games they will be giving away three of charge to Xbox Live Gold subscribers for the upcoming month and the company’s offerings are getting better each month. First up for the month of August is Arcade title Motocross Madness, from Bongfish and Microsoft. Motocross Madness is a reimagining of the original Microsoft title which takes players to a series of rather exotic locations where they can race, trick or just much around in the game world, while there are also some impressive online game modes. Normally it’ll set players back R110 but from…

Space. The final frontier. And now you can have a very accurate piece of that frontier sitting in your home, courtesy of NASA and a 3D printer. The American space agency, when they’re not attempting to 3D print pizza for astronauts, have released a collection of Blender and .stl files that are 3D printer ready. The subject of those files are scale representations of several asteroids, probes, pieces of other planets (like Mars) and satellites which can be downloaded from NASA at no charge so you can stick ’em in a 3D printer and keep ’em at home. They haven’t…

Games based on the Alien motion pictures have been around for a very, very long time. Some of them have been fantastic, other, like the most recent release Aliens: Colonial Marines, failed to fulfill their promise. SEGA and developer Creative Assembly are planning to improve on that last outing’s sour taste with Alien: Isolation, which hits the market in early October this year. So far the previews have been positive and a few lucky players have even been allowed to play the game using the Oculus Rift, which is reputed to make gamers pee themselves a little. What could possibly…

Smartphone and appliance maker LG have had a very, very good quarter indeed according to their posted financial results for the second quarter of 2014. Just how good, you ask? The company is reporting a 165% increase in net profit over Q2 2013, helped along by some record sales of smartphones as well as increases across the board. LG sold larger numbers of TV sets and appliances compared to this time last year, with the only reported decline being seen with regards to their air conditioners. We’re pretty sure they’re okay with that. The Numbers LG has reported a net…

It’s sometimes easy, in the rush of new products and technology updates, to forget that not everyone in South Africa has access to the technology literacy and skills required to make a living using the technology that Stuff readers love so much. It is good to know that there are programs out there in this country that are assisting disadvantaged young people, who may have never held a tablet in their lives, to develop the skills necessary to enter the job market and perhaps have a hand in designing the Next Big Thing. Or another Candy Crush, but we wouldn’t…

Chinese electronics company Lenovo has got an event planned for 5 August this year and there have been rumblings about that they have in store for the world when it takes place. The loudest rumble is that Lenovo will be springing a smartphone on the world, one that may be able to go toe-to-toe with Stuff’s current darling, LG’s G3. An image, posted by a Lenovo marketing manager on the Weibo social network, shows a piece of the phone that will apparently be arriving soon. From the image we can gather that the handset, which is currently known as the…

Heard of MTN Pulse? Now might be a good time to look it up, especially if you’re mostly on the phone to other MTN users. MTN announced this morning a new call rate for pre-paid Pulse users which will give them very reduced charges every day but there are a few terms and conditions attached. To start with, MTN’s Pulse is targeted at the youth market. So far, so good. It’s also restricted to pre-paid accounts and it’s only effective if one MTN Pulse users is calling another. There are benefits to getting your friends and family on this call…