Author: Brett Venter

TCL seems to be making every other bit of tech these days, so why not a few extra smartphones? The company has quietly launched its K70 budget phone lineup. How quietly? There appear to be three of them in the series, but details are available for only two. The details appeared on a Thai website, confirming the existence of TCL’s K70 and K70 Power Android handsets. The starting price, converted from bahts to rands? About R6,700 for the Power variant, which gets its suffix from its larger battery capacity. K70: The Budgetmaker Both smartphones use MediaTek’s Helio G100 Turbo chipset, which…

The thing about avoiding Robot Overlords™ taking over is that you have to build them as slightly less capable than the average human. The Mirror Me Bolt humanoid robot’s creators didn’t get that memo. The ‘bot, which remains confined to the lab (for now), will blast past any human who isn’t a dedicated — possibly professional — runner. The Chinese company behind the robot, Mirror Me, took to X to show off its new creation, putting it on a treadmill in a match between the company’s CEO and the unstoppable humanoid. It’s called Bolt for a reason — it’s very…

Tyme Bank has implemented all sorts of tech-related features since its launch. Now? It’s GoTyme. Literally. The online, branchless bank has rebranded itself to GoTyme Bank, though its initial identity will hang on for a while, sharing dual billing with the new branding. You know, until folks get the idea. Part of the change will include an updated (and suitably branded) app experience for users, but, in corporate speak, the rebrand more “clearly expresses the bank’s global alignment and focus on delivering a modern, digital-first banking experience that is simple, transparent, and affordable.” It’s… GoTyme Some of the bank’s existing…

Online retailer Takealot began testing its new TakealotNow service in South Africa towards the end of last year, and it must be going well. The brand has announced that it’s spreading its quick-fire delivery tendrils into KwaZulu-Natal, specifically in and around the Durban area. As with the initial test, it’s rolling out the feature in areas with large population (and therefore logistics) density. Durban just happens to be next on the list. Takealot of shopping According to TakealotNOW head Marnus Engelbrecht, the feature “started as a pilot project in 2023, and has grown rapidly ever since. We have expanded to…

Artificial intelligence, if you aren’t sick of hearing the term yet, has serious potential behind the concept. A computer system that solves the world’s problems? Who wouldn’t want that? Most philosophers, for one. When humans have nothing to strive for, they create discord and discontent. Those things, that friction is a requirement for developing agency and self-governance. It’s like Rise Against’s Tim McIlrath says, “You won’t know your worth now, son, until you take a hit.” Anything that solves all of your problems will probably kill you as a human being. Happily, unless you’re in charge of ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok,…

Once up a time, it was fun to hit up Wikipedia, choose a random page, and go link-hopping. Now, with shorter attention spans, there’s no time for that sort of thing. The answer? Xikipedia, a reworking of the popular online encyclopedia that renders the pages into a sort of social media feed. Xikipedia replicates the sort of thing you’d find on X, Threads, or even (if you have the correct tastes) BlueSky… but without any of the trolling, memes, and general negativity you’ll find on those platforms. Our first look at the reworking gave us immediate access to Joe Pesci,…

It’s been some time since Sony gave the world its WF-1000XM5 earbuds, which means that the WF-1000XM6 in-ears are due. Just how ‘due’ has been indicated by the still-unofficial buds appearing online in surprising detail. An online retailer has detailed Sony’s upcoming headphones, a misstep that was captured by folks over at Reddit. Some of the feature set and images of the gadget were outed, giving us a fair overview of what Sony has coming down the pipeline. Wascally WF-1000XM6 The known features for the Sony WF-1000XM6s are those you could have guessed with a fair shot at being correct.…

There’s too much tech released every year for Stuff to get to it all immediately. That’s why you’re seeing 2024’s baseline Amazon Kindle appearing here in 2026. We hadn’t seen it yet, so we couldn’t test it before. But it’s here, in a fetching green shade Amazon has chosen to call Matcha, and we’ve had a chance to play. Our basic opinion of the Kindle range, this device included, hasn’t changed. Amazon’s hardware is unmatched when it comes to ereaders, and that’s even true of this R3,000 basic model. The American company’s software, however, grows ever more obnoxious. When you…

If you’ve been wondering how Xiaomi’s SU7 EV, specifically the Ultra variant, performs, but aren’t keen on waiting for the new Chinese EV to land in South Africa, you’re in luck. Provided you have a PlayStation 5 and a copy of Gran Turismo 7, anyway. Xiaomi has succeeded in adding its 1,500-horsepower electric vehicle to Sony’s driving simulator, where it’ll give you a taste of how the vehicle handles the road. It’s not quite the same as actually driving one, but it might come close. Sony even made a movie about the game’s accuracy (which heavily involved Nissans). SU7, meet…

DJI’s little Neo 2 drone launched a relatively short while back, but we’ve already got a decent idea of what the Chinese company is doing next. The drone-maker’s next two flyers are the DJI Lito 1 and Lite X1, according to certifications passed by the FCC in the States. There’s even a timeline for the two drones to launch. They’re expected to land in the second and third quarters of this year, with full reveals for the flying camera hardware happening closer to the time. DJI casts the Lito The two drones are expected to replace DJI’s existing ‘Mini’ lineup,…