Author: Brett Venter

As expected, Huawei’s Pura X Max has turned up in all of its widescreen glory. The Chinese company announced the phone for its local market earlier this week. As with most Huawei products, it’ll likely leave China for other locations in the next few months. Admiring the folding smartphone from afar isn’t a problem either. The display is broad enough that we can make out the subtitles from here. Okay, fine, it’s not quite that stunning — the internal screen is still just 7.7in in size. But the change in aspect ratio could be attractive for many users. Pura X…

Samsung has a new Galaxy Tab A11+ Kids Edition on the way to market, and it has already launched overseas. The device isn’t dissimilar to the standard Wi-Fi version already available in South Africa. Technically, you could create your own version of it by installing a bumper case and some kid-friendly software. Samsung’s version is a bundle affair, with a protective case and kid-sized stylus included, as well as a custom software environment. It’s also set to be pricier than the R5,800 Tab A11+ due to these extras. Pay the Tab A11+ So far, we’ve only found a reference to…

Over the weekend, Honor’s Lightning humanoid robot beat the human record for a half-marathon. Any student of science fiction would be forgiven for thinking that the robotic future is here. Heck, even fantasy fans have been exposed to the idea that robotic workers would be a disaster for human labour. Terry Pratchett’s Feet of Clay and Making Money both tackle the idea from different perspectives. In the first, golems are favoured as employees because they don’t argue, have a high initial cost but never stop working, and do the jobs that humans don’t like. Even the idea that these robot…

Xiaomi has just announced a new Redmi Pad SE 2 tablet for the Chinese market, with strong odds that it’ll make its way over here in due course. The major question is: which version of the Redmi Pad SE will it replace? The cheaper 8.7in version or the more costly 11in? It’s a tough call because the sequel sits in between those two in terms of size, but adds a 120Hz refresh rate. It also bumps up battery capacity. Is the new Redmi Pad SE 2 replacing both? That seems like a more likely conclusion.  Check out my new Pad…

There’s no arguing with the fact that Samsung routinely puts out the best Android phone of the year. This year, that’s the Galaxy S26 Ultra. Last year, it was the S25 Ultra. The year before that, it was the S24 Ultra. The clue is in the name. But here’s the tricky bit — all three of those phones… aren’t terribly different. In terms of pure physics, each handset is the quickest of the year. The cameras are better. But almost everything you’ll encounter is such a minor step down that Samsung might as well be copying its own homework. The…

Back when Worldcoin was sending its Orbs around the world, OpenAI (and Worldcoin)’s Sam Altman wasn’t on very many casual radars. Now the apparent crypto company has rebranded, but its aim of scanning as many human faces as possible hasn’t changed. Instead of free cryptocurrency that never materialised (do those initial folks have a case to plead?), the World Orb promises online security. It’ll still harvest biometric data, of course. Nominally on behalf of Tinder, Zoom, DocuSign, and er… Ticketmaster, having a World ID will tell these platforms that you’re really human. Pay no attention to what’s happening to your…

It’s official. The future will demand that all human survivors are peak-trained marathon runners. Honor’s Lightning humanoid robot, at this weekend’s 2026 Beijing E-Town Humanoid Robot half-marathon, beat the human world record for the race by a considerable margin. The current record, held by Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo, is 57min20. Honor’s robot, competing in a parallel race run by artificial humanoids, set a blistering 50min26 pace for the 21.1(ish)-kilometre race. It wasn’t the only one to outpace actual people, either. At least three of the robotic competitors crossed the finish line before a single human did. Lighting strikes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vUnusbzNMQ Obviously, this…

First, it was sapphire; now the Huawei Watch Ultimate Design is getting a diamond edition, according to a teaser from the Chinese company on the country’s main social media platform. Whether South Africa will ever see the luxury version of Huawei’s smartwatch in person is doubtful, but it’s nice to know it’s out there. The Diamond Edition of the Huawei Watch isn’t just an empty title. Diamonds are used in its construction, with at least four around the bezel and more on the wristband. As for who would don one for a night out, we’d have to guess visiting Saudi…

Price increases are easier to hide when a product is brand new. When something like the Meta Quest 3 (or Microsoft’s Surface range) goes up in price, it’s obvious that something’s troubling the tech industry. Everyone knows what that something is, of course. Correct. The problem is Sam Altman (and other people like him). The RAM shortage is whalloping everyone, including the world’s largest social media company. Starting today, the Meta Quest 3 and its S variants will become more expensive. Meta Quest 3: The Search for More Money And not by a little bit. The Quest 3S is going…

Netflix may or may not belabour its plot details because most folks use the service for background noise, but its newest ‘feature’ might well tackle the problem. According to a letter the company shared with its investors, the mobile app will look more vertical shortly. Which could solve the issue of having to restate what’s happening all the time. At the very least, Matt Damon will be pleased. By putting videos in a vertical orientation, perhaps viewers will actually… be viewers, instead of scrolling their phones every time Kevin Hart comes onscreen. Netflix enhances verticals Specifically, the company is “redesigning…