Author: Brett Venter

It seems our ambivalence about the probable launch of the Galaxy Ring 2 at this year’s first Unpacked was misplaced. Samsung has announced that its finger-based wearable — the first edition, at any rate — is expanding to several new territories. South Africa happens to be on the list. Not just the Galaxy Ring There are a total of fifteen new countries getting the wearable tech. In addition to SA, the new markets include Cyprus, Czech, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, Mauritius, New Zealand, Singapore, Slovakia, Taiwan, Vietnam, and Zambia Three colours—black, silver, and gold—and eleven sizes from five to…

In yet another bid to preserve the fiction that its product leaks are unofficial, website Android Headlines has gone and published all of Samsung’s product imagery for the pending Galaxy S25 lineup. Officially it’s a leak. Unofficially, these are the exact images Samsung will share with the world when its Unpacked event rolls around next week. Someone at Samsung handed over 75 images to the publication which shared them roughly nine days before the official announcement. If this was a problem, we reckon the leak might have been plugged by now. It’s almost like it’s officially sanctioned… Unpacking the S25…

The thing about marketing is it lets you say… pretty much whatever you want. Keep that in mind when you read about BYD’s Yangwang U9, a new supercar from the Chinese automaker with some very special abilities. Like Tej and Roman’s space-bound Pontiac Fiero, BYD’s U9 is supposed to be something special. No, the Chinese car won’t drift in space but it’s supposed to hop over obstacles in the road. Obstacles like potholes and spike strips and… rainbow dust? Grab your Yangwang https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hW6lFowulFw It’s supposed to do all of this autonomously, at speeds of about 120km/h. There’s a video of…

It’s taken about six(ish) years but VLC, the popular open-source video player, has doubled its downloads from three to six billion. This total is across all of the software’s available platforms, from Mac to Windows to Android and Linux (plus a few others you’ve never used before). To celebrate, the developers of the free software are adding another feature you won’t have to pay for: automatic subtitles. Of course, they’re powered by artificial intelligence, but the company says the AI needed will run offline and natively on your device. VLC gets smart VLC automatic subtitles generation and translation based on…

Meta and eBay announced this week that it would test adding eBay listings to its Facebook Marketplace, sending the value of the online auction house skyrocketing in the process. The choice to add its competitor wasn’t entirely a result of Meta’s good graces, however. The company currently faces headwinds from the European Commission as a result of Facebook Marketplace. Incorporating its direct competition will hopefully assist Meta’s appeal against a recent decision that found the social media giant guilty of abusive practices. eBay goes Meta The test takes place in the US, France, and Germany. The first location is an…

January is already shaping up to be a good month for new tech. Samsung’s first Unpacked is, not surprisingly, scheduled for 22 Jan. Microsoft is also expected to add to its Surface portfolio before the first month of 2025 concludes. That’s according to a LinkedIn post discovered by the folks at Windows Central. It’s not your traditional event — Microsoft is actually punting its AI Tour in New York City, but there’s supposed to be a “major announcement from Surface for Business”. It’s not out of the question that the two are related. Beyond the Surface of AI Snapdragon-powered versions…

If you thought 2025 was starting with a somewhat different flavour to recent years, you’re right. It’s no less wild, though. How wild? Dana White, the CEO of the UFC, has just been appointed to Meta’s board of directors. Yes, that Dana White. And yes, that Meta. The one that’s dropping fact-checking in favour of X-style community notes. That isn’t the only change to the social media giant’s board. John Elkann and Charlie Songhurst, respectively the head of Exor (a European investment firm) and an experienced venture capitalist, also add their experience to Meta’s board. All of the new appointments make…

Anker has introduced a range of products at CES 2025 in Las Vegas that seems a little off-centre — if you’re not a South African. A solar beach umbrella and a portable fridge (that is also solar-powered) are just the things to shore up the mistrust we all have for Eskom. It’s been a while but everyone’s still very aware that the lights can just… turn off. That’s not all the electronics brand (and its sub-brand Soundcore) has to offer. While you’re using your beach umbrella to keep the brewskis cold, Anker also wants you to ramp up the party…

Stuff has long been fans of MSI’s Titan range of gaming notebooks. The brand’s gear can look samey in the lower order but the bonkers approach to its ultimate portable gaming machine/Bitcoin-mining rigs resonates with us. There is a new headliner from the Taiwanese company, revealed at CES 2025. Meet the MSI Titan 18 HX Dragon Edition Norse Myth. Wait, aren’t the Titans all Greek? Yes, that’s entirely correct. There isn’t a parallel to the Titans in Norse mythology. The closest you’ll get are the jötunn or jötnar but they’re a different sort of being. Rather than primordial proto-gods, they’re…

Samsung’s Unpacked events are as regular as someone who consumes a small wicker swing set each morning and 2025 is no exception. The first of the South Korean company’s international showcases finally has an official date and, as expected, it’s in late January. 22 January, to be wholly specific. That’s also as expected (thanks, Evan). There’s an obvious candidate for what Samsung will show off at the event: the Galaxy S25. The only way the company could really throw a curveball would be to debut its folding phones first and launch the headliners midway through 2025 but that’s never going…