Author: Brett Venter

A short time ago Amazon revealed its Astro robot, a dinky little rolling Alexa machine with a dead-eyed stare and the ability to follow you anywhere that doesn’t include stairs. A little while after that, it launched a business version of the critter. Astro-for-business was intended for sentry duty, fitted with a night-vision camera, two-way conversation ability, and always-on video surveillance. It also included a monthly subscription on top of the R44,000 ($2,400) price for the robot itself. Turns out, that wasn’t too popular. Astro-no-money Less than a year later, the robot is being retired. The in-home version is still…

Drone maker DJI has made a surprise move into the world of land-based transportation. No, you’re not going to get a carbon fibre e-bike directly from the company, pre-fitted with an excellent camera and gimbal (though that would be awesome). You might find yourself on a similar vehicle propelled by the Chinese company’s tech. It’s not the first oddball choice DJI has made in recent months. The company has also launched its own series of backup batteries, though we’ve yet to see these turn up here in South Africa. Hopefully we’ll see a bicycle toting the company’s Avinox Drive System…

Realme is a relative newcomer to the Stuff offices, with the Realme 12+ 5G being the first smartphone to turn up on our website in review format. The Chinese brand, formerly a division of Oppo, is off doing its own thing. This upper-mid-range smartphone is one of the results and constitutes a (mostly) strong start for the lineup in South Africa. We say ‘mostly’ because while there are many premium touches, the Realme 12+ falls short of being truly impressive. With a starting price of R15,000 here at home, you’re still getting loads of smartphone for your money but when…

In another world, Huawei’s Pura 70 Pro would occupy a completely different rung on the smartphone ladder than it currently does. If the Chinese giant still had access to American hardware and software, the dominant positions held by Apple and Samsung might not be quite as stable as they are. Alas, that’s not the case and Huawei is mostly getting by. It’s making strides forward, as evidenced by its new Pura 70 Pro and the other handsets in the series, but they’re not as long as they could have been. Some of the old glory is there but it’s somewhat…

It shouldn’t be surprising that the Xbox 360, Microsoft’s nearly twenty-year-old console, faces reduced services. The console itself still works perfectly fine but many of the servers that service its titles have already gone away. The next to depart is the digital storefront. That’s set to happen on 29 July 2024 but before it does, Microsoft is giving Xbox 360 owners one last shot at some impressively cheap games. If you somehow haven’t had a crack at some of these titles, there are a few weeks left to do so. Some titles are so cheap that you could add eight…

The Energizer PAC4000 isn’t the first portable air compressor Stuff has had in the office but it remains one of the stranger gadgets you will find on a retail shelf. It’s also potentially the most useful, though it’ll only prove its worth when highly specific situations arise. The PAC4000 (PAC stands for ‘portable air compressor’, naturally) is made for folks who habitually drive over terrible terrain, always find themselves with a slow leaking tyre, or have loads of balls. Soccer, preferably. Or maybe you need to blow air into an object and don’t feel like using your lungs. Enter Energizer’s…

If you’ve ever looked at your car and thought “I need a voice assistant in this ride”, Volkswagen probably has the car that you need. The German automaker has become the first to launch ChatGPT in its vehicles. It’s not called ChatGPT, of course. That would be silly. It’s called Cerence Chat Pro, a “uniquely intelligent, automotive-grade ChatGPT integration”. The only limitation on it right now is geographical — the product rollout is currently limited to Europe. North America will follow later, and then possibly by other markets. Volkswagen’s cloud services Why do you want ChatGPT Cerence inside your motor…

Stuff has spent a fair amount of time in Volvo’s range of EVs but they’ve all, like every other EV, had one problem. The price tag. The Volvo EX30 hopes to buck that trend by offering a little less car for a lot less money. The EX30 starts at R776,000 here at home, before you add any extras like the extended range package or an additional electric motor. The Volvo EX30’s pricing still stops short of a million bucks here at home, which is relatively affordable in EV terms. It’s pricier than the first Mini Cooper SE to land in…

It’s a good day for anonymously sourced AI news. Amazon is reportedly looking to boost its Alexa smart home platform by connecting the system to a generative AI. Since doing this is incredibly expensive, the company is also considering a monthly subscription fee for access to this boosted Alexa. The suggested fee, which would run between R100 ($5) and R200 ($10) a month, only applies to the second tier of this new augmented Alexa, according to the folks who spoke to Reuters about Amazon’s plans. A less capable version would remain free for all users. Amazon explores The project, internally known…

Everybody wants a piece of the AI action in 2024. Everybody. TikTok parent company ByteDance is reportedly setting up a partnership with American firm Broadcom to design and produce its own AI chipset. The move is in response to commercial tensions between the US and China. The 5-nanometre application-specific integrated chip would be developed with the assistance of Broadcom, with ByteDance getting Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSMC) to perform the actual fabrication. At least, that’s the word according to several sources. TikTok AI? Everybody needs, or thinks they need, AI-capable chipsets and TikTok’s overlord is no exception. And since the company…