Author: Brett Venter

Checkers Sixty60 may have started us all off during lockdown but everyone else is gradually catching up — with varying degrees of success. Massmart retailer Game is the latest traditional real-world store to ramp up its online offerings, in a bid to stay competitive. That means heading to the Game website, the URL of which hasn’t changed at all, to see what’s new. It’s more than just a redesign, too. There are actual tangible changes on hand, but some are a little limited right now. Make a Game of it Some of these changes are things that… really should have…

We got lucky over the past few months, but there’s no guarantee that luck will hold. South Africa’s fuel price had fallen, a little, kinda, over April and May. April’s dip was thanks to a little tax holiday handed out by SA’s government. Even then, the price of petrol increased a little. In May, the (small) dip was a result of that same holiday. Well, folks, that holiday is just about over. The upshot is that South African motorists must brace for a possible walloping. The R1.50 reduction in the general fuel levy (GFL) was only supposed to remain in…

The idea behind Asus’ Duo notebooks isn’t novel anymore. Models featuring a large secondary screen have been around for quite some time. The secondary display is actually a display, rather than a multi-use strip like Apple’s ill-fated Touchbar. The newest device from the brand is the Zenbook Pro 14 Duo, a name intended to inform you that a) there’s a second display and b) it has all the specs. More or less. Of course, we knew this was coming. Officially unveiled last night, we’ve had the chance to spend some time with Asus’ newest hardware. There are some really excellent…

Late last year, rumours turned up concerning DStv Flex. First reported by Thinus Ferreira, a South African entertainment reporter, the service was supposed to allow DStv subscribers to pick and choose a little more than it does now. Since then, there’s been little movement. Queries to DStv owner Multichoice over the existence of Flex were met with the same response as last year. “MultiChoice is constantly striving to provide its customers with the best possible content offering. As such, we continually assess our offering and conduct regular research to test different products and services for our customers.” Weird Flex, but okay…

NFTs have their faults, but some residents of Shanghai have managed to turn those failings into something positive. Shanghai, one of China’s largest coastal cities, is in the middle of a COVID-19 lockdown. The city has been locked down for more than a month. Residents there have taken an unusual step when it comes to recording memories and conditions during this current lockdown. They’ve turned to the blockchain, in a rare, positive usage, and minted NFTs that explain how the city’s residents are doing. Shanghai, how you doin’? It turns out, when you try to keep 25 million people inside…

It’s not news by now that Disney+ is coming. It’ll turn up in South Africa in a little under two weeks. But is it worth signing up for, extremely attractive launch discount or not? That’s the big question. And, if the 54-page document Disney+ has dropped on the country is any indication, it’s probably a good idea. The service makes liberal use of the term ‘exclusive’, meaning Disney’s streaming service is the only place you’ll find said content. And there’s a ton of it. Disney+ all this A Marvel fan? Disney’s throwing more than 60 movies in your direction. Plus,…

We’re all familiar with the concept of Happy Hour. The hazy trip to the bar, the battle to carry far too many drinks back to the group, the money still leftover in your wallet. Ah, those were the days. Well, Huawei has something similar heading in South African shoppers’ direction. It’s called ‘Lucky Hour’. The concept is broadly similar to the alcoholic counterpart. Purchase something from Huawei’s online store at a specific time of day and you’ll get a specific price. Now, this wouldn’t work if it was more expensive than usual. Instead, there’s a discount on offer. The only…

Meta really wants the metaverse to succeed. In fact, given the name change, it would be fair to say that it needs the metaverse to succeed. We’ve seen many examples of Mark Zuckerberg’s company pushing harder into the VR space. Now there’s another one — Project Cambria. Project Cambria is the code name given to Meta’s upcoming virtual reality headset. It’s expected in September this year. When it arrives (if it arrives), it’ll be fielding some high-end hardware. But that’s not where the project ends. More VR hardware, four headsets in all, are expected by the end of 2024. Unearthing…

Yeah, sure, May the Fourth is just Disney propaganda designed to get nerds talking about Star Wars. It’s free publicity for the Mouse Company, but it’s also a genuine phenomenon. Star Wars, the story of space magicians who battle using the Force, has been a big deal since 1977. So what if it was designed from the start to sell toys — that’s marketing done right. It’s done so right that we’ve compiled a list of games that you should buy today. Because, being May the Fourth, pretty much anything related to George Lucas’ space opera is on special. And,…

Space is hard. If it wasn’t, everyone would be doing it. Space is also expensive, which is why the major drive is towards rockets that can be used more than once. In order to do this, rockets must be recovered. Either you land them, as SpaceX does, or you can try and catch them. Rocket Lab, a private American company, attempted the latter over the weekend. But that comes back to ‘space is hard’. Landing rockets isn’t easy to do. Frequently it’s hilarious, you’re not the one watching millions of rands in engineering disappear in an orange fireball. Rocket Lab…