Author: Brett Venter

Ikea wasn’t kidding about its new Skyrim collaboration. The furniture company has announced a free Kallax Storageborn Creation mod for the popular RPG, currently available to players on PC and Xbox. PlayStation players won’t be left out for long, as it’ll eventually make its way there too. The mod adds a few new quests and a new companion. The companion is a sentient Ikea Kallax shelf, voiced in the game by comedic actor Matt Berry. True to the company’s schtick, players will have to acquire and build said shelf first. The outer edge of Skyrim https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZODN0QUgjI Given that the game…

Images of Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy Tab S12 lineup have leaked (via YTechB), but the new visuals haven’t emerged in a vacuum. Pricing details for the new premium Android tablet have also emerged via Europe, and the price tag doesn’t look pretty. Part of this is Samsung reportedly discarding its base model tablet, with Tab S12+ and S12 Ultra units making it to retail this year. The rest of it is… well, you know the answer to that. The upshot is that you’ll pay thousands more to add one to your arsenal compared to a year ago. Cost of exploring the…

Apple’s Watch Ultra series has never been cheap, but Apple’s unveiling last night suggests the Watch Ultra 4 won’t see a price increase in South Africa. Launch pricing for the new premium Apple wearable remains the same as in 2025. The same goes for the new Apple Watch Series 12. That also holds steady compared to last year’s pricing. South Africa’s market doesn’t directly mirror the American one, but price deviations generally carry through. Fluctuations in Watch Ultra 4 and Series 12 prices will likely mirror exchange rate changes. Watch Ultra 4-ever Part of the reason for the static pricing…

Wearable tech has a very bright future ahead, if BOE’s demonstration at this year’s Display Innovation China (DIC) Expo is any indication. The screen-maker, known for various displays including those found in the Vivo V70 FE and Rain’s own Loop Phone, has demonstrated its upcoming wearable display. The demo showcased a new 1.39in microLED panel with a maximum brightness of 6,000 nits. Samsung’s newest, the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, forces 5,000 nits into its AMOLED screen. BOE’s prototype promises better daylight visibility, though the benefits will only really turn up for serious users. BOE’s big DIC presentation The folks at…

Xpeng’s Iron robot has had its share of setbacks, but the Chinese company is back to boast. The first of its production-model humanoid robots has walked off the production line. And that’s not a metaphor, either. According to the company, the first of its production ‘bot literally walked out. Xpeng says that it has “completed the production-lines [sic] manufacturing of the world’s first advanced humanoid robot, which autonomously walked off the lines.” The Guangzhou-based facility disgorged the humanoid robot, after which company head He Xiaopeng welcomed it onto the facility’s staff. Iron will Having the first robot walk off the…

Folding smartphones are often spoken about as if they’re brand-new technology. In a way, they are. The concept of a phone that folds isn’t new. Even a smart device that folds in half isn’t new. The only really novel bit about this still-maturing technology is the idea of a single, flexible display. Samsung’s Fold series has pioneered the technology so far that its Galaxy Fold range — even its very latest batch — feels boring for the folks who follow each development. Other approaches are being tried, from producing the thinnest foldable phone to adding additional folds for larger screens.…

One of the features of something written by ChatGPT (and other AI chatbots) is that it reads like it’s written by AI. A new feature in OpenAI’s app seems to be trying to change that. If it harvests different writing styles as training data in the process, all the better. The feature, Writing Style, was spotted by a user on X. It shows OpenAI’s app looking for additional connections to user messaging, document, and email sources. The function allows ChatGPT to “write in your voice by referencing examples from your connected apps.” Written by ChatGPT? Is this new in ChatGPT?…

There are ways to improve optical performance. One is more impressive glass; the other involves sticking tech inside. Unistellar’s Envision has taken the second path, placing augmented reality functions inside a pair of 10×50 binoculars. The sum for a pair (not including shipping) is a somewhat steep R25,000 ($1,500). That’s not far off from a semi-premium pair of binoculars from Nikon, Swarovski, or Zeiss, with the added benefit that you can point them at things and have the world explained to you. Envision the future According to the company, the Evision AR binoculars use standard optics as part of the…

It was only a matter of time before robot vacuum cleaners like the Roomba became more advanced. The iRobot-owned brand isn’t laying out cash for more advanced sensors, though. Its Roomba Duo concept, shown off at IFA this year, stacks two different robots for more effective cleaning. In that sense, it’s a very 1989 solution to having a technologically advanced cleaning droid. Generally, robot vacuum cleaners have a set radius that makes them unsuitable for cleaning finicky corners. A second, smaller ‘bot solves that problem rather neatly. Plus, there’s a Transformers aspect to what iRobot is punting here. Roomba for…

Stuff recently got to play with Noise’s Master Buds Max over-ear headphones. The Indian brand has several pieces of audio kit, with a brand-new one on the way. This one, the Master Buds Open, includes a partnership with Bose. That’s not unique to these clip-on buds — the others in the lineup have a similar “sound by Bose” claim. The company had its new (and only) clip-on earbuds as a demo at this year’s IFA conference in Berlin. By most accounts, the Master Buds Open are impressive enough in their own right. We’ll be stuck waiting until they make their…