Author: Brett Venter

So you’ve got your workshop all set up (just kidding, you’ll never be finished) and you’re about to start performing timber surgery. But before you start sticking irreplaceable appendages close to rapidly spinning steel, there are a few items you should stock in addition to an excellent selection of power tools. After all, even the most seasoned carpenters are prone to losing fingers at short notice. It’s best to remain paranoid, prepared, and preventative when there’s any sort of blade involved. The same goes for drills, grinders, screwdrivers, hammers… you get the idea. Even a basic workshop is a potential…

Each new year means space for thinking about improvements. For Stuff, it means gathering candidates for its Stuff App Awards 2025. As was the case last year, we’re looking for apps made by local (that is, South African) developers. We’re expanding the qualifications a little for 2025. If you’ve previously launched an app, it’s eligible for consideration as long as it’s still in use and hasn’t previously won an award. If you’re a previous winner, the same app may be submitted provided an extensive update has occurred. In those cases, we’ll ask for an update log before judging takes place.…

It’s been a couple of years since Sony’s remarkable C700N earbuds appeared on the scene which means it’s time for an upgrade. The Japanese tech maker’s new WF-C710N earbuds have yet to be made official but a new image leak, supporting other leaks, shows the upcoming audio device(s) in all their see-through glory. The last version opted for an interesting green shade for its standout earbuds but this time around, Sony seems to be plotting a wholly transparent set so you can see all the gooey innards. Well, maybe not gooey but you get the idea. Looking through the WF-C710N…

The ill-fated Humane AI Pin is dead. Well, very nearly. The artificial intelligence hardware you could wear will stop functioning in the next few days as the servers that support it shut down. Why? Because the company itself is going away. Humane has immediately ceased sales of its hardware and those who did pay for it only have a few days’ grace before their access is cut off. The final date for operations is 28 February this year. No more AI Pin Humane’s “business priorities have shifted”, a softer way of saying that it is killing off everything it did…

There’s a lot of noise around farmers in South Africa at the moment but Telkom has news of a different sort. It has launched a new smart agritech initiative in South Africa in association with Stellenbosch University, a company called Aizatron, and South Africa Wines. The event, held today at the Lanzerac Hotel in Stellenbosch, featured several industry heads, including government ministers and provincial government representatives, but the interesting part, from Stuff’s point of view, took place before the official event kicked off.  The cool stuff was on display at a nearby farm managed by Stellenbosch University. That’s some Smart…

It’s not just internet access that Meta has its eye on. The company’s Reality Labs division, the same folks responsible for the Quest lineup of VR headsets, is setting up a team to work on household robots. It might sound a little like Elon Musk’s Optimus but it’s hardly an isolated technological ambition. The robots are intended to help around the house, performing tasks like reducing the size of that pile of unfolded washing sitting on your couch. Reworking Reality Labs The information comes via Bloomberg, which reports that the former CEO of Cruise, Marc Whitten, will head the new…

A short while ago Meta was rumoured to be working on a very ambitious undersea project. It has since confirmed Project Waterworth, a plan to span most of the world’s continents with its own internet infrastructure. The project will see the social media giant lay enough of its own cable to more than circle the globe (at its widest point, obviously. Five continents will be connected by the project, helping to “enable greater economic cooperation, facilitate digital inclusion, and open opportunities for technological development in these regions.” What is internet Waterworth? Key countries being connected include South Africa, the USA,…

It’s a touch late (there’s a decent reason for that) but it’s finally here — Stuff’s Feb-March 2025 issue has hit stores. It’s packed with loads of the stuff you like to see but it’s also, unfortunately, got one very glaring mistake in it. An incorrect image crept into our Gadget Awards feature for the print issue, showing… well, someone else instead of our Headphones of the Year winner for 2024 — the Sonos Ace. Don’t worry about letting us know about the mistake. We know. Believe us, we know. We’re also very sorry about that, Sonos.  But if you’re…

If you think drones are scary now, wait till they’re small enough to fly up your nose. The folks at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) already have them stashed away in their lab and they’re getting closer to being a functional device. Or rather, a swarm of them. Much like those Chinese drone shows that are totally not a display of future military potential, the insect-sized drones are capable of moving in a swarming formation. Their intent is also not supposed to be military but we’re almost certain some dingbat will figure out a way to weaponise teeny-tiny drones.…

The Sugar Cubes N97 Elite games console is one of those gadgets only available in another country that you desperately want to lay your hands on. The ‘why’ should be as obvious as the retro device the name references. 2008’s Nokia N97 is an iconic cellular phone for loads of users, garnering attention despite the Apple iPhone launching the year before. Nokia’s sliding phone may have slipped into the past but it’s back in the shape of this little games console. Well, the form factor and the designation have returned. You couldn’t play the games this thing handles back in…