Author: Brett Venter

Humanoid robots loading your luggage at the airport isn’t a far-off scenario. Japan Airlines (JAL) has announced a pilot program, starting this month, that will see this exact situation play out — though it’ll likely take longer to execute than just plonking C-3Po into the luggage bay. The reason for using humanoids instead of purpose-building an airport-bot? Their conveniently human shape “allows their introduction without significant modifications to existing airport facilities or aircraft structures.” But the demonstration experiment, as Japan Airlines is calling it, will play out over a decent amount of time. Haneda’s new humanoids The trial takes place…

Huawei’s tri-folding Mate XT smartphone came out in, of all places, South Africa. It arrived in other countries, sure, but we’re really not sure how many locals paid R70,000 (at launch) for the company’s most unusual phone. If you’re more of a second-generation buyer, your chance is coming to spend vast sums on the XT’s successor. A rumour out of China reckons that Huawei has its sequel brewing. The projected launch is for October this year, giving you plenty of time to secure a deposit. Or a bank loan. Need another Mate XT? The rumour comes via Hyperdimension Realm, a…

It’s set to be a good few months for wearable tech. Honor should be unveiling its new Watch 6 Plus to the world — or at least the bit of the world that lives in China — in the next few weeks. Signs of the device have turned up on Chinese social media. It’s definitely launching, with Honor opening pre-orders already in its home country. Hopefully, like the Watch 5, it’ll eventually make its way to South Africa. For the projected battery life, if nothing else. Watch 6 Plus signs The major clues as to Honor’s plans for its newest…

DJI has a few new products, at least some with Osmo branding, to show off in the next week or so. The company has confirmed a 7 May event where it’ll put “wonders in your palm.” Exactly what those wonders are remains to be seen, but speculation is that there’s a new version of the company’s Osmo Mobile 8 coming. The educated guess is based on the only item clearly seen in DJI’s announcement teaser, which looks suspiciously like a remote control. Why yes, I am a DJI Wonders in Your Palm May 7, 2026 | 8 AM (EDT) Learn…

Fitness brand Suunto could have a sequel to its R3,810 Core smartwatch in the works. There are no visuals for the device yet, but it certainly exists. The update to the 2007-launched Core watch has turned up in an FCC filing with some interesting information attached. The most interesting thing? A potential battery life of multiple years. Possibly as many as five, if the work done by the folks who found the regulator filings is accurate. Core value There are other details available via the listing, but that’s the main one. The wearable will (or should) be powered by a…

Do Hyperice and Theragun have competition from Xiaomi’s Massage Gun 2 percussion massager? That really depends. If you’re an athlete? Not really. If you’re just a regular person, though, opting for the Chinese brand’s massage gun makes a lot of sense. Part of this is the price. The Xiaomi Massage Gun 2 has a recommended retail price of R1,900, but you can grab it for closer to R1,780 if you poke around a bit. For your money, you’re getting a competent massager with enough attachments to keep your tired body going beyond its limits. Hammer time There are only a…

If your main complaint about wearable tech is that it’s too bulky, there’s a new crowdfunded project just for you. The Lumia 2 claims to be the world’s smallest wearable. Since it fits inside a pair of earrings, the company behind it might be right. Given the product design (and all of the promotional images), the Lumia 2 is aimed predominantly at female users. The earrings can be worn with pierced ears, but there’s also an attachment that’ll stick the sensor onto one’s ears, the same way clip-on headphone buds function. Lumia 2, too?  The Lumia 2 ships, depending on…

The future was always supposed to include flying cars. Joby, one of the companies trying to make this happen, has begun live testing in New York City. The program will run over ten days, but it’s not for average citizens yet. The company’s trial is more of a tech demo, showing off how Joby can “connect the region, linking vertiports, international airports, and communities” in NYC in particular. It’s all come a long way since NASA was helping the company to test flight capability. Good Joby, guys Joby’s first flight in the test, and the one they’re bragging about, travelled…

Huawei is set to announce its next global product launch at an event in May, according to a teaser the company posted on X. The tagline for the event is ‘Now is your spark,’ which could mean almost anything on its own. But given that the AI-generated teaser video (embedded below) involves cute pandas, elephants, wristwear, and tablets, we’ve got a fair idea of what to expect. For everything else, there’s industry rumour to fall back on. The folks over at Notebookcheck reckon that the Chinese brand has six or more devices in the offing. Based on the brief teaser,…

Unitree’s G1 and H2 humanoid robots have put on impressive shows of late, but you’re far more likely to buy the company’s R1. At least initially. It’s not like they’re hard to find, but interested buyers might have it even easier in future. The Chinese company is supposedly set to list its R1 humanoid on AliExpress, initially for sale in China. It’ll later appear in other markets, including the US and Europe. There’s a decent chance it’ll tempt local buyers as well. But… the exact timing of the listing isn’t clear. Unitree’s roots spread Earlier this month, the South China…