Author: Brett Venter

We last heard talk of South Africa’s venture into the world of digital currency in March this year. Then, the idea of a digital Rand was being explored, as a way to improve international banking for SA. Now, a new interview with South African Reserve Bank (SARB) deputy governor Kuben Naidoo gives a possible timeline. Naidoo, speaking in an interview with Reuters, suggests that a digital Rand will turn up, but that it is still a few years out. Government regulation of cryptocurrency assets, on the other hand, might turn up in the next nine to fifteen months. That’s not…

If you’ve ever looked for work, you’ll know that the roughest bit tends to be the interview. Google’s new AI system might be able to help there. Called Interview Warmup, this AI is designed to assist Google Career Certificate candidates to get a job. But, with a little imagination, it could be useful to everyone else too. The concept behind it is simple. Interview Warmup responds to spoken and written answers, using some of Google’s tech for the latter. If you’ve ever come across an AI chatbot in the wild, you’ll know how it works. Only this one won’t turn…

Disney+ has only just launched in South Africa, but there’s already something waiting in the not-too-far-off future. In addition to the current pricing (R120/m or R1,200/year), there’s an ad-supported tier inbound for the service. This means, yes, there’s a version of Disney+ coming which will show ads. Turns out, it’s not going to be quite the awful experience you might think. Ads will be limited to just minutes each hour, according to several reports. Disney+ advertising Advertising on Disney’s platform will, according to various sources, be limited to just four minutes of ads an hour. That’s a pretty low number,…

It seems that subscriptions are finally coming to WhatsApp. WhatsApp Premium is the name, perhaps obviously, but you can leave your pearls alone. For the moment. The subscription version of the world’s most popular messaging isn’t for you. Probably. WhatsApp Premium is intended for WhatsApp Business users, according to the folks over at WABetaInfo. Since they typically know what’s going on in the app before Meta does, we’re inclined to believe them. The point of WhatsApp Premium The ‘feature’ is a way for owner Meta to monetise the app a little. It’s still in development but will see Business users…

It’s almost here. Disney+ is, at most, a few hours away from being available in South Africa. If you still haven’t signed up for a discounted annual price, you should probably do that now. If you’ve already ticked that box, then you probably want to be utterly certain which platforms the service is coming to. Well, let’s take care of that. If you’re using a computer or a smartphone, you’re pretty much sorted. But if you’re a fan of specifics, here’s exactly where you can stream Disney+ from, as of tomorrow. Disney+. Disney+ everywhere At launch, in South Africa, the…

You know what would be very convenient? Being able to buy your everyday groceries in the same app you used to buy that food you really shouldn’t be eating (for the fifth time this week). Well, here we are. Pick n Pay and Takealot have signed a new deal that will bring the grocery chain’s food, alcohol, and household items to the Mr D app. The move, which totally has nothing to do with Checkers’ upward mobility, will see the Mr Delivery app split in two. When users open the app, they’ll be asked whether they want groceries or restaurant…

Talk of a folding device from Apple has lingered for years. It may not be a phone, but most talk suggests that we’ll see it next year. What it might look like, or even what it’ll be, is as closely guarded a secret as almost any Apple device. But there’s a suggestion that the company is investigating using an e-ink display on it. Which doesn’t mean Amazon is kicking itself for not figuring out that a folding Kindle is a brilliant idea. (It really is, though). Nope, Apple’s e-ink investigations are for the outside of this not-totally-fictional piece of technology.…

You’ve finally made the call and assembled the budget. It’s time to buy a new smart TV. It’s not always possible to wait until Game or Makro is opening a new store on Black Friday, after all. But that’s the thing. What on earth do you do now? Which TV should you buy? There are several brands in South Africa selling smart TVs. Samsung and LG are the major players. You can occasionally score a Panasonic if you look around hard enough. Otherwise, there’s Hisense and Skyworth playing in the smart TV arena too. TCL is also here, and they’re…

Flash drives, on the excitement scale, sit just a little above printers. They are, for the most part, boring. Unless you’re the sort who gets excited about data transfer rates, it’s usually capacity upgrades that hold the most attention. Space. That’s people getting excited about empty space. The folks from NexCopy reckon they might have something worth raising your pulse about, though. They might even have a point. NexCopy, if you’re not familiar with them, spends most of its time making flash drives for businesses. Those cheap-ish flash drives, purchased in bulk? Yeah, they make the machines that make it…

They must be putting something into the water in Finland. Not only is the country a hub for some of the best video games of all time (and a few others), but it’s also home to some serious tech. Nokia and Polar hail from the country as well. Now there’s one more — Verge, makers of the Verge TS. The Verge TS is an electric motorcycle. Big deal, right? There are tons of those. Triumph, Husqvarna, BMW, Harley Davidson — loads of folks have one. Even South African outfit BST has a spectacular option. But Verge’s bike is a little…