Author: Brett Venter

Generally, when you’re running an app-based loyalty programme, signups come thick and fast — if you are targeting a general market. Castrol FastScan isn’t quite on that level, narrowing its focus to a very specific industry. As such, it has grabbed 1,440 members in six months. That’s awful if you’re, say, Pick n Pay, but if your target market is South African mechanics, that’s… not bad. There are far more shoppers than there are folks who’ll fix your car for money. And Castrol wants those folks to buy more of its products. Fuelling FastScan That’s all a typical loyalty programme…

The technology age doesn’t feel like it’s much older than its twenties, but software stalwart Microsoft has just celebrated its 50th birthday. Besides its various conferences and events, former head Bill Gates has marked the occasion a little differently. Gates, in a blog post, gave some background on the company’s earliest days, ending by offering up the original Microsoft operating system source code as a PDF download. Happy birthday, Microsoft  There’s very little you can do with the code unless you intend to replicate an archaic operating system, but it is an interesting glance at the history of mass-market software.…

The Amazon Kindle’s new AI-driven Recaps feature wants to make having to remember the things you’re previously read a thing of the past. Folks used to do this in school to develop a human ability called ‘reading comprehension’, but nobody needs something like that in 2025, do they? Well, needed or not, it’s here. Amazon says that the feature works similarly to the ‘Previously on…’ segments on TV shows and multi-part movies [see subhead], serving up information you might have forgotten in the book you’ve just read. “Last time on Dragon Ball Z…” Recaps is triggered by readers, so you…

Netflix has come up with a new feature, more or less, for its vast legions of subscribers. As of today, the service will make all of its language and subtitle options available to all of its TV users. Previously, these options were limited to those who used the web browser or mobile app interfaces. The folks who watch using a TV app (hopefully that’s most of us) were confined to regional settings, offering languages that might seem predictable given the country the user is in. Qué, Netflix? The feature has been implemented by user request, setting the company up as…

Samsung typically makes a big deal of many of its product launches. The official reveal of the Galaxy Tab S10 FE (which stands for ‘Fan Edition’, if you’re new here) doesn’t merit quite as much fanfare. But it’s still official, following extensive leaks earlier this year. One of the headline features for the new semi-affordable Android tablets is the inclusion of “intelligent experiences”, Samsung’s way of saying that some Galaxy AI bits have crept in despite the hardware down-step. This is further enhanced if buyers stick on one of the company’s new Book Cover Keyboard peripherals, since that incorporates a…

If you haven’t had your fill of Chinese car brands in South Africa, you’re in luck. A few new faces will launch shortly when Jameel Motors makes its first entry into our local market. But here’s where things get a little confusing. Jameel Motors will make its initial foray into SA’s car market but at least initially, it’ll distribute cars made by Changan and Deepal. The former will see standard vehicle models turning up, including sedans, SUVs, and bakkies (powered by petrochemicals); the latter is responsible for EVs. What’s up, Jameel? There’s little data for the vehicles we can expect…

We’re always highly suspicious of any product announcements made on 1 April, but Hyundai might have been counting on that. The South Korean automaker chose the day of ‘mirth’ to reveal its new Insteroid EV concept vehicle, a game-inspired take on its Inster EV. Looking at it, you can see why we were cautious. The concept doesn’t look real, and not just because it’s a sported-up version of a sub-compact electric vehicle. You might as well put a spoiler on a Bajaj Qute and believe that Hyundai’s car is real. And yet… Insteroid abuse Hyundai treated this edition of its…

Do you love racing simulators enough to drop the price of a luxury vehicle on one? Aston Martin, along with partner Curv Racing Simulators, has taken the wraps off the R1.37 million ($75,000) AMR-C01-R. It’s not to be brushed aside, assuming you have the money to burn. And assuming you’re one of the lucky few to manage an order. There will only be fifty of these little critters made and while the price for entry is exceedingly high, you’ll get everything you need to step in and start (digitally) racing. It’s fully kitted out with computer tech and also features…

Ceramic is making increasing appearances in modern consumer technology. Asus has its Ceraluminium-bodied notebooks, Apple has its Ceramic Shield glass, and now Corning, the company responsible for Apple’s displays, has Gorilla Glass Ceramic on the way for Android devices. The role of technological glass development is one of the most underappreciated aspects of mobile technology. It has the twin drawbacks of being invisible (you literally look through it), and it doesn’t make a beeping noise. It just sits there, quietly, protecting your phone’s innards. Soon, it’ll provide more protection to more users. Ceramic strength Corning reckons that its new grade…

Samsung isn’t mucking about this year, with another FE-branded folding smartphone heading to market at an indeterminate point. Renders of this phone, a Galaxy Flip 7 FE, have turned up via noted leaker OnLeaks. As with his images of the Galaxy Flip 7 earlier this month, the Flip 7 FE looks to be packing a little more screen than usual. Do a kick Flip 7 FE By this, we mean it looks like Samsung is using a similar chassis to the one it will use for the fuller-featured Flip 7 when it launches later this year. The major change? An…