Author: Brett Venter

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…

First National Bank’s (FNB) Nav app has been around for quite some time, constantly adding features since its initial launch. That seems to have paid off, with the bank’s service now counting 5 million users under its broad umbrella. Growth has been steady since the service’s 2016 launch but the last annual cycle turned out to be the major attractor. Nav scooped up a million new users in the past twelve months, fully 20% of its current total and “underscoring the growing demand for FNB’s innovative digital financial solutions”, says FNB. Join the Nav’i Nav has several different categories available…

Luxury car maker (and also the 1 series) BMW plans to integrate Huawei’s HiCar vehicle software in its vehicles sold in the Chinese market by 2026, according to the automaker. The software will be combined with cars made locally in the country, meaning we probably won’t see it on this side of the planet in a hurry. The German manufacturer will also work with Huawei to develop apps for the automotive version of the tech company’s Harmony operating system, allowing Huawei users to connect and control (or at least monitor) their BMWs with very little extra overhead. A BMW in…

Samsung was supposed to bring its Galaxy Ring to South Africa sometime in February this year, but that deadline has unfortunately passed. It hasn’t been abandoned, though. Pricing for the finger-worn wearable has turned up — not from Samsung officially but in South African currency, at least. Tech website Cellucity has a listing for the overdue Samsung peripheral, pegging the local price at R8,000. You can’t pre-order the thing yet, but it is possible to join a waitlist for notifications about when your newest gadget turns up on sale. Grabbing the Galaxy Ring That shouldn’t be long, according to a…

Not even Microsoft’s own research showing how artificial intelligence makes users less cognitively capable will prevent the tech company from releasing more Copilot. The latest? Copilot for Gaming, “the ultimate gaming sidekick that helps players get to play faster, sharpen skills with expert coaching, and enjoy a more social gaming experience.” Or, to put it another way, it’s another way for AI to get involved in the relaxing, creative thinking processes humans do to unwind instead of shutting up and doing all the math nobody wants to do. This is my Copilot https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoUDVNjDUSw Okay, so it’s not quite as bad…

Back in 2022, DStv made the unpopular decision to limit streaming of its services to a single screen. It’s taken a few years, but the choice has just been walked back. Effectively, as of today, DStv Premium, Compact Plus, and Compact subscribers can stream to two screens at the same time. DStv Stream customers are also having an additional simultaneous device tacked onto their existing capabilities. About time, DStv At the time, the move to limit simultaneous streams was intended to combat password piracy. The easing of restrictions makes no mention of that or how it fared from 2022 to…