Author: Brett Venter

Stuff has had some experience with Vertu’s range of luxury smartphones, like the Ti Ferrari which costs more than most of the country makes in a year. The trouble with the luxury handset maker’s Android device has always been that the specifications have fallen short of the high-end devices that come from the usual companies (though the other features always make up for it). Not so the new Signature Touch from Vertu, which corrects that little issue nicely. As opposed to the mid-range specs we’re used to seeing, Vertu’s latest is packing the latest in hardware. A Snapdragon 801 CPU…

We’re seeing so many wearables these days that a special fitness category is almost a given at this point. The newest item to launch at a local level is Garmin’s Fēnix 2, which follows the Forerunner from a while back. Appropriate naming there. The Fēnix 2 is being billed as an adventure GPS watch and we’re pretty sure that doesn’t mean that you’re going to be having escapades in Narnia, based on the imagery that accompanied the local launch announcement. Instead, it’s going to be giving you direction which you’re mountain-thinying (-biking, -climbing, -falling… that last one takes care of itself…

Not everyone has enough cash to drop on a trip to the FIFA World Cup taking place in Brazil but Google have very kindly arranged a look around the stadiums themselves, though they’re devoid of crowds and footballers. Google’s LatLong blog has given notice that Google Maps users can get inside the twelve stadiums that will be playing host to the football action this year using Street View – so you can picture yourself at ground level while watching everything on TV. The search company have also loaded up the decorated streets surrounding the venues for this year’s World Cup…

Facebook has acquired a Finnish company called Pryte, an outfit that is set to specialise in “…single-click buying of mobile data on a need-to and per app basis”. The weird thing is that Pryte has yet to officially start doing business, so someone at Facebook HQ seems to have a crystal ball in hand for this one. The terms of the deal have not been disclosed to anyone other than the company that has merged with the social network as yet so we have no way of knowing what value Facebook has placed on the technology that they will (presumably)…

Don’t look at us like that, Glass may be a hardcore technologist’s dream peripheral but nobody ever got to the top of the gadget world by appealing solely to a single group. Glass, in its original form, was a bit utilitarian but Google has announced a new look for their AR glasses which is being added to the Glass Explorer program. The new design, a collection from DVF which is a brand by American designer Diane von Furstenberg, will be available for purchase in the States from 23 June this year. Comprising five frames and eight sets of shades, the…

GoPro cameras are known for being the popular choice when it comes to being crazy on video and adrenaline junkies will be pleased to know that you’ll have more options when it comes to affixing cameras to kit that can chronicle your antics. Available from GoPro’s international store now are a new 3-way mount and then a mount designed specifically for bodyboards – so now you can keep track of your pant-wetting terror when going over the falls on a heavy day. The 3-way mount is going to  be a land-photographer’s best friend by the look of things, being one…

MTN has announced a partnership with streaming service simfy Africa that will bring streaming music access to subscribers and customers, an offering that is launching today. According to the company, MTN is the first mobile operator to give this customers access to a music streaming option. The service will cost R49 per month and will give users access to more than 23 million tracks as well as custom and curated playlists. MTN and simfy will be offering an offline mode as well as a two-week trial of the service for those that are undecided about whether to make the jump…

Perhaps you caught some of the details from Apple’s WWDC, which included the changes that are coming to iOS 8 when it launches later on this year. One of the new features is the introduction of Metal, which is centred around gaming and should lead to much better performance on mobile devices. Well, Razer is looking to capitalise on that innovation with their newly-announced Junglecat mobile controller that will make your iPhone 5 look like a Nokia feature phone from the early days of South African mobile phone use. Okay, perhaps it’s not that bad but the Junglecat works like…

We’ll admit to being spoiled rather a lot by Sony’s Xperia Z lineup of devices but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t give the company’s less high-spec products some attention now and then. Sony has detailed a new mid-range Xperia handset in the T3 and you know that things are moving on technology-wise when a 720p, quad-core smartphone is considered mid-range. The Xperia T3 is set to be a 5.3-inch, 1,280 x 720 smartphone with Sony’s typical run of screen tech – aka a mobile Triluminos display with the Bravia Engine 2 for added prettiness. On the inside the T3 will…

What’s in store for Stuff fans for the month of June? That’s the question every month but as usual Stuff has packed a massive amount of the newest technology news, reviews and features into each lovingly-crafted page of the magazine. What’s in the box? From learning how to indulge your artistic tendencies using nothing more than an iPad, a stylus and an overdoes of H.R. Giger dreams to the return of the music player (now with even more impressive ear-pleased high-definition audio formats – because MP3s are for chumps), Stuff Magazine’s June issue has everything you need to know about…