Author: Brett Venter

It’s just about time for us to close out another year in technology with you all. Before that milestone creeps by, in just a few brief rotations of our planet’s circumference, we’ve got one more magazine for you all. The Dec 23/Jan 24 issue of Stuff is on shelves everywhere. As is traditional at this very traditional time of year, the main event is Stuff’s annual gift guide.  There’s plenty of things harder than choosing an excellent gift for someone you’re very familiar with. Maybe it’s analysis paralysis, maybe you’re on such good terms that you’ve already given them all…

We’ve already seen what the headliner in Oppo’s Reno 10 series can do, now it’s time to check out the performance at the base level. You might ask yourself why we’re doing this in this particular order. That’s because the Oppo Reno 10 turned up in South Africa later than the 10 Pro + did. We’re not entirely sure why. As it turns out, it was a plan to wait for the stock version of Oppo’s 10 lineup and not just because it’s a much more affordable proposition. The 10 Pro + features speedy enough hardware but it was priced…

EVs have plenty to love, especially if you’re a fan of acceleration, but you only need to take a look inside the typical EV boot to see some of the design limitations. EV batteries and motors tend to take up way more space than an internal combustion engine. Hyundai and Kia have come up with the Uni Wheel concept, which they calls a universal wheel drive system, that might just help with that. Most folks are at least basically familiar with motor vehicle suspension design. Wheels are mounted away from the central body of the vehicle, with a system of…

Samsung’s Galaxy S24 is coming. It’s just a question of whether we’re getting the announcement in the last week of January or the first week of February next year. While we wait for that to be confirmed, there’s some new info about the handset lineup kicking around the internet. Mostly it’s new information about the king of the series, the Galaxy S24 Ultra. In addition to the (probable) processor news, you can expect a slight change in how the S24 Ultra looks compared to this year’s model. More specifics on how AI will be implemented are also known. There are…

Earlier this year, WhatsApp rolled out a feature called Chat Lock. That one allows you to lock your chats away behind a passcode or biometric barrier. Well, that wasn’t enough for some of you so now the service has come up with something it calls Secret Code. “Everyone has secrets” – WhatsApp, 2023 Secret Code is similar to Chat Lock in that it prevents folks from accessing certain chats. The difference is that this code (which should be kept secret, naturally) can also disappear the chats you want to keep secret entirely. This tricksy bit of the feature only reveals…

It might seem like spoilers have made it pointless but you can now stream Formula E’s previous nine seasons online, entirely free of charge. The newest season of the EV-powered race series, season ten, starts in January this year and this is a chance to get caught up. Especially if you have nowhere to watch it on regular TV. Sticking to the Formula E Streaming some high-speed but oddly silent racing doesn’t appear to have many terms and conditions attached, either. There’s no region lock that we can see and no limitations other than having about 90 spare hours to…

When you think of excellent over-ear headphones, you don’t think of laptop and printer maker HP. Maybe you should. The new Poly Voyager Surround 80 UC over-ears surprised us with their audio, proving that you probably shouldn’t judge a product by its sensible cardboard cover. The Voyager Surround 80 UC overs are marketed as work headphones. Anyone who has worked in an open office is aware of the importance of a great set of office cans. We were expecting… well, office cans – something serviceable enough to keep the surrounding din out and optimised for Zoom meetings but nothing special…

When Google isn’t working out new ways to creatively monetise user information, it’s working on other initiatives like better internet access or renewable energy. In the case of the latter, the company has just announced a new geothermal power project in Nevada that has come online. You might ask yourself what Google knows about geothermal power. You’d have a point, but a little extra thought would also tell you that they could just, you know, Google it. But yes, the search giant has teamed up with Fervo, a clean-energy specialist, to create a facility that it calls the first of…

Why should Apple fans get to have all the fun? Ayaneo, a company better known for its game consoles, has announced a new Retro Mini PC that looks like… well, a retro mini PC. In practice, it’s a little like Apple’s Mac Mini only nowhere near as powerful. But that’s fine, because it’s also nowhere near as expensive. And, if you happen to head over to IndieGogo, you can snag an AM01 Retro Mini PC  for even less than the projected R5,000 ($261) retail price. The project isn’t really being crowdfunded – the AM01 was only looking for $6,670 and…

Meta’s major cash cow, its ad-serving business, is in jeopardy in Europe. The company was recently fined for some of its practices in the region and incoming legislation calls for a greater ban on behavioural advertising. If it passes, Mark Zuckerberg’s income stream will be seriously curtailed. That was why the company attempted to run ahead of the change by implementing a subscription fee for ad-free access to Facebook and Instagram (separate payments, obviously). At the time it was just a rumour but Meta has since rolled out the Subscription for No Ads (SNA) in Europe. But nothing is ever…