Author: Brett Venter

The PDF (which stands for Portable Document Format) is an undeniably powerful file format. But as anyone who has tried to work with one will tell you, they can be a massive pain in the rectum. Chrome, according to a recent announcement from Google, may take at least some of the sting out of your tail with an upcoming update. The fact remains that most folks with vision impairment struggle to use technology in general and the internet in particular. That means web browsers, desktops, and documents are often a struggle to access. Chrome, using the magic of artificial intelligence…

Eskom announced over the weekend the suspension of the Minimum Emission Standards rules for its Kusile power plant, potentially bringing 2,100MW back into play. The move isn’t new. It’s been in the works since March this year, but the Department of Fisheries, Forests, and the Environment granted the postponement three weeks ago on 5 June 2023. Additionally, an updated Atmospheric Emission Licence was granted by the Nkangala District Municipality that further allows the agency to pump out additional sulphur dioxide (SO²) in order to keep its Kusile units operating. This licence was granted on 13 June. Eskom does us dirty…

Diablo IV, if you’ve been paying attention, follows on from the other games in the series. In practise it’s got more in common with Diablo II from 2000 than with 2012’s Diablo III but it manages to pull together aspects of both titles — and other Blizzard properties — to create something almost wholly fresh. That does mean that old hands expecting to dive in and start mowing down mobs and clearing dungeons with venomous alacrity are in for a slight shock. Diablo IV starts at a slower pace than its predecessors. The first-time players clear the game;  it’s all…

Boston Dynamics’ Spot is, for many, the original robot dog. While it’s a relatively benign design (mostly), its spawned several more lethal evolutions. There was the Spur, a rifle-toting creation from Ghost Robotics, and now there’s the Thermonator. You’ll never guess what that does. If you guessed ‘walks around with a bloody great big flame thrower on its back’, congratulations on reading the headline. We’re not exactly sure why it exists but since you can pre-order it from a company called ThrowFlame — which specialises in flamethrowers of all types — we’re guessing it’s just a product for flame-throwing enthusiasts.…

OtterPilot is an AI-powered chatbot with a very particular set of skills. Skills that make it a nightmare for people who think you’re still paying attention to online meetings. Otter.ai is a popular (and handy) transcription service that turns recorded conversations into written text. Its newest offering ramps that function up a little. Just a little. OtterPilot, the name that the new Otter AI Chat service has given its chatbot, won’t completely absolve you of listening responsibility during an online meeting but it will make most of the recall-based aspects of that meeting somewhat meaningless. When artificial intelligence is listening…

It’s entirely possible that, with our review of the Fujifilm Instax Square Link, we’ve officially completed the set. Previously, we’ve encountered the Instax Mini Link 2 and the Link Wide. The Square brings us full circle (yes, we see how that could be confusing), rounding out the different instant film categories available from the Instax brand. Just, you know, without the camera. What nobody tells you where you look at one of these in a store is how hard it is to design a portable photo printer that stands out from other portable photo printers. Fuji has tried here and…

The tyranny of small chips of plastic that slip into your smartphone is at an end. Vodacom has launched eSIM support for smartphones in this country, building on its previous launch of the tech for wearable devices. This isn’t wholly new but the introduction of the option for prepaid, hybrid, and regular contract users is. If you remember, Apple’s latest iPhones launched a version that only supports an eSIM (embedded Subscriber Identity Module) identifier. That model was confined to specific countries at launch but since Vodacom intends to support “selected…smartphones” using the tech, perhaps we’ll be on the list next…

German audio brand Sennheiser recently sold off its consumer audio arm to a company called Sonova. This company specialises in hearing-based medical tech, which is why it’s hardly surprising that the next in-ear products to launch from the brand are… over-the-counter hearing aids. Don’t get too excited, however. The new All-Day Clear and All-Day Slim hearing aids with their attendant high-end audio branding are only due for launch in the States this July. Other locations will likely follow. When they do, don’t expect German-engineered audio assistance to be cheap here. Sennheiser listens The idea behind these products is that they’ll…

If you’ve been hanging onto Microsoft’s previous generation games console because, well, games are still launching for it, it’s time to start saving for something new. The company, via an Axios interview with game studio head Matt Booty, has confirmed that it’ll no longer be making those. That’s not all he was talking about but everything covered during the interview entailed how the company’s games platform will continue moving into the future. That’s a thing executives like to talk about — even executives who make video games for a living. Microsoft’s call of Booty The move shouldn’t be surprising. The…

What with Apple making a huge splash in the world of virtual reality, Meta obviously thinks some catching up is in order. WhatsApp will probably be one of the battlegrounds if a pending update for the messaging platform is any indication. The folks over at WABetaInfo have come across information that Meta’s messaging service will be making the jump to virtual reality. Specifically to the Meta Quest, because the company owns that hardware. Plus, remember how the social network was going to make it big in the metaverse? WhatsApp with VR? Don’t get too excited though. The feature is still…