Author: Brett Venter

The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) is exploring yet another avenue to secure funding for the State-owned broadcaster. The TV license might be on the way out (taking a raft of debt with it) but there’s still advertising revenue. The only thing about that? The SABC isn’t getting enough of it, in the SABC’s opinion. What’s the answer to that? Better programming? Investing in improving services to end-users? Clawing back some of the money wasted on clueless executives? Of course not. The State-owned broadcaster is asking ICASA to put a cap on how much advertising paid-for broadcasters can accept. Salvation…

Did you know that Meta has a division called Meta Financial Technologies?  Well, it does. And that division is working on a digital currency, known internally as ‘Zuck Bucks’. Because it’s a catchy name, we’re assuming, and because they get to poke a little fun at the boss. Unlike its previous foray into the world of money that only exists on the internet, this project isn’t a cryptocurrency. Instead, people involved in the project explain it as a centralised virtual currency that will only have utility in Meta services. We’ve seen its’ like before, mostly in games. Everybody from Microsoft…

So you’re looking for a phone that’s reasonably feature-packed but isn’t going to cost Death Star money? Well, you’re in luck. Xiaomi’s budget brand (Redmi) has a budget brand of its own. From that heritage comes the Poco M4 Pro, a budget-priced handset that doesn’t feel like it has cut too many corners. Poco phones, in general, are not a bad lot. Okay, sometimes they can be a little iffy, but that’s no reason to discount them. They’re also attractively priced if your definition of ‘attractive’ is ‘I can afford one’. This applies to most people — especially South Africans.…

The price of petrol in South Africa went up again this week, to a record high of R21.96 for 95 octane. And that’s after SA’s government dropped the price by R1.50 with a little tax holiday. The price of gas isn’t exactly sustainable. Something has to change. While we wait for South Africa’s government (or the current Eastern European situation) to sort something out, that something might be us. Let’s introduce you to the concept of hypermiling, a hobby for some that might become an everyday essential if this keeps up. What is hypermiling? Hypermiling is mostly practiced overseas. Folks…

Agritech is becoming bigger business. If it’s not using AI to improve output, it’s using an app to monitor and manage an entire farm. That’s the promise Farmers Friend, a new app from South African company IQ Logistica, offers its users. The app is, specifically, a “Farming Operations Mobile Application”. It’s designed to help out in a wide variety of tasks, from improving yields to managing operational data. Mobile Farmers Friend It does this by offering field and farm mapping, represented on the app. This can be accessed either off or online. Sometimes it’s difficult to get a mobile signal…

The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) has published a new draft amendment. Big deal. That happens often. But this one, amending the End-User and Subscriber Service Charter Amendment Regulations of 2018, actually is a big deal. See, it deals with a few very specific things. But the one that is most notable is how long your mobile data must last. Specifically, mobile data purchased from mobile operators must last at least six months. That means no more having leftover data disappearing after eight weeks or so. ICASA’s data mine ICASA’s draft proposes amending Regulation 8B of the 2018…

First National Bank (FNB) yesterday announced several new features designed to tempt potential customers over to the green side. Among those was a free Starbucks coffee a week, a great deal if you live in Gauteng and can get to one of five local stores. There’s also access to Udemy courses, a medical and armed response app called GuardMe, Slow Lounge access (FNB owns that outright now), and a games subscription. But perhaps the most interesting of the bank’s new “lifestyle solutions” are so-called ‘Hero Device Deals’. This is a feature where apparently high-end devices are available from the bank…

Prepare your wallet for another mugging. South Africa’s national energy regulator, NERSA, is proposing a 7.47% increase in municipal electricity tariffs. The price hike would come just three months after Eskom’s recent tariff increase. The state-owned power utility scored an extra 9.6% in tariffs — less than the roughly 20% it was seeking, but still enough to sting. NERSA, via a new discussion document, is proposing the new 7.5% tariff increase kick in from 1 July 2022. That’s the process as usual, but the agency says that it will not hold public hearings on the matter. It cites time pressure…

On the one hand, Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, a game by the studio that bought us Borderlands, is an allegorical take on the inner workings and insecurities of longtime character, Tiny Tina. On the other hand, it’s about traipsing through a wacky world populated by strange characters and even stranger missions. So… exactly like Borderlands, then? Well… yes, and no. The game’s systems are familiar to anyone who has played anything in the series. As far as DNA goes, there’s far more Borderlands 2 than Borderlands 3 in this one. That’s one thing to be thankful for. But it’s more than…

It’s time for a brand-new issue of your favourite tech publication. The April-May- 2022 edition of Stuff Magazine has landed. Head on to your nearest store or pay a visit to one of our many digital versions of the magazine and pick up an issue that covers basically every aspect of your life. Yes, even that one, provided you read it in the smallest room.  First up is the road. The April-May 2022 edition of Stuff collects some of the best EVs available in South Africa today. The price of petrol is getting a little ridiculous, even with the promise…