Author: Brett Venter

Google, being Google, is now using your Search data to “improve Google generative AI models”. You weren’t really asked about this, though you may have received an email telling you that Search Services History now exists. Part of the new function (it’s not a feature) is the aforementioned generative AI opt-in. Most of Google’s users won’t bother with fiddling with it, but not everyone is okay with training AI without compensation. If that’s you, there’s a simple way to opt out. Search for another way Accessing the new setting is as simple as visiting My Google Activity in a browser…

We’ve been following the development of NASA’s X-59 aircraft, if only because it holds the potential to reintroduce supersonic air travel to the masses. The Concorde was ferociously expensive, but also incredibly quick. One of the problems with it was the sonic boom the airliner generated. This made it unsuitable for flight over most inhabited areas. The X-59 intends to sidestep the latter problem, at least. NASA’s engineers are trying to generate a ‘quiet’ sonic boom, without the effects of a purely ballistic approach. A new video posted on several of NASA’s YouTube channels shows the aircraft in action during…

BMW’s robotic humanoid ambitions aren’t confined to the European continent. The motoring company has announced that it’s launching the next iteration of a humanoid assistant at an American factory. Previously, the Figure 02 robot has been serving time at the company’s Spartanburg facility. Now it’s about to be supplanted by Figure 03. Figure 02 is the creation of Figure AI, a company that specialises in humanoids. The second generation of its humanoid has put in eleven months’ work at the South Carolina facility, which means it’s time for an upgrade. BMW fights in the shade BMW Manufacturing vice president Ulrich…

It’s been long enough since LG’s rollable smartphone was smothered in the crib that Samsung is thinking about taking a shot at it. At least, that’s the word according to Korean news outlet Money Today, which reckons that the South Korean giant is targeting 2028 for its own rollable. It’s not like Samsung hasn’t been trying all sorts of design changes to keep its smartphone empire feeling fresh. It’s not like the company has anywhere to go in terms of hardware, especially now. Something gimmicky… probably sounds pretty good right about now. Samsung on a roll? The Money Today report…

SanDisk’s Extreme Fit USB-C flash drive is proof of just how far portable storage has come. The humble floppy disk averaged about fifteen grams, whether you chose the 5.25in or the 3.5in version. SanDisk’s new storage accessory weighs about a fifth of that. Storage capacity has gone way, way up since the 1970s, too. Which all seems obvious. The Extreme Fit USB-C is available in capacities from 64GB to 1TB, with the 128GB version we were playing with costing around R800. Pricing almost doubles for each step up you take to 1TB, which costs a mighty R4,800. Still, if you’re…

If you’re keen to accelerate your cognitive decline further, YouTube has announced that its users can now watch Shorts at double speed. According to the platform, this is so you can “absorb information more quickly or find your favorite part faster.” Exactly why you’d need anything from an AI-narrated Short stuffed in your brain more quickly isn’t explained.  Presumably, somebody, somewhere, has a reason to make these short clips zip by even faster than they already do. That somebody is probably Google. Eat my Shorts The move, presented as a good thing for YouTube users, would also have the effect…

Believe it or not, playing with smartphones and tablets all the time can get tedious. Our time with the TVS Apache RR310 motorcycle, on the other hand, was anything but. This bike is billed as a track-ready vehicle, for folks who want to go fast somewhere there are paramedics on station. It’s also, as it turns out, a decent option for drivers looking to dodge the current fuel price. And traffic. You’ll have to be willing to dodge traffic. R90,000 brand-new isn’t much for putting rubber on a race track. Given how new the Apache RR310 is in South Africa,…

Meta has had very few original ideas across its lifetime. Facebook was a clone of social media precursors. It was just polished so slick and shiny that nobody could see what a turd it was. Instagram came from outside the company. So did WhatsApp. Pretty much every ‘feature’ and addon launched under Mark Zuckerberg’s banner is either a blatant copy job or a purchase that started outside the company. And now there’s another one. The New York Times reports that something ‘new’ is brewing inside the social media giant. It’s called “Arena” internally, and it’s Meta’s own take on Polymarket…

We have to hand it to Fujifilm — the company is getting experimental with its Instax instant camera lineup. The newest to arrive in South Africa is the Mini LiPlay+ hybrid instant camera. You could be forgiven for mistaking it for one of the company’s portable photo printers… from the front, anyway. From the rear, the Mini LiPlay+ is still a bit of a weirdo. The retro-ish controls are present over the film door, but it looks like Fuji has banged one of its digital camera displays onto the same surface. Which they have, of course. There’s a reason for…

Nikon’s Z6 III camera has been around for a while, but there’s a very specific version that you haven’t been able to buy. As it happens, the Japanese company makes a version for governments and industries that yanks out the connectivity options. Because cameras with the ability to send data off-site are looked down upon on military bases, production lines, and other places that deal in sensitive info. Strangely, Nikon has just made this version available to everyday photographers as well — at least in limited quantities. Nikon’s government connection It’s called the Nikon Z6 III (No Wireless Connectivity), at…