Author: Marcé

Snapchat is rolling out a new set of filters that respond to your voice. Your actual voice, meaning there’s no need to make a facial gesture, like raise an eyebrow or stick out your tongue. Just proclaim your eagerness to modify your carefully-snapped images with a howl and it will be done. Okay, not quite. Saying one of the app’s recognised words, like “Hi”, “Love” or “Wow,” will see one of the new filters animate and make you more beautiful. Or just tinted another colour, at least. The feature should begin appearing in the app today as part of a global…

Have you ever done something you regret immediately but know that you can’t undo? That’s what the print industry risks every day, and an error like printing an ad way out of schedule can lead to a Mavic mishap… just ask drone- and gimbal-maker DJI. We knew that DJI had new versions of the Mavic Pro on the way, but not quite what they would look like. Thanks to a mistakenly published advertisement in a UK retailer’s catalogue, DJI had to confirm a few specs and features ahead of the drones’ official reveal. Oops. https://twitter.com/Chromonian/status/1023230213331791872?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1023230213331791872&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theverge.com%2Fcircuitbreaker%2F2018%2F7%2F30%2F17630966%2Fdji-mavic-2-pro-leak-specs-features What we learnt from the…

The green messaging app, WhatsApp, has updated its video-calling service with support for group video calls. That means more than just you and your imaginary friend, we’re sorry, but two’s not a party. The new feature allows you to video chat with up to three other people simultaneously on both the iOS and Android apps. To use the new feature, you don’t even need to do an update (unless you haven’t in a considerable amount of time, in which case you’ll need to). In oder to get started, you’ll need to initiate a one-on-one voice or video call with a contact…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIdg1f5GTvc&feature=youtu.be Nintendo Labo launched earlier this year with a genius mix of build-it-yourself cardboard accessories and genuinely entertaining games bundled up in the Variety Kit and Robot Kit, respectively. If you thought that was going to be the end of it, you’d be wrong. A new Nintendo Labo Vehicle Kit (or Toy-Con 03) launches on 14 September this year.  This new Vehicle Kit contains the software and cardboard pieces you’ll need to build a Toy-Con car, plane, and even a freaking submarine! You’ll be able to build a steering wheel for land vehicles, a flight stick for air vehicles, and…

Johannesburg’s massive geek and gaming expo, rAge,  is coming up, and the organisers have decided to make a few changes to the NAG LAN setup to accommodate all gamers. This year, there will be three dedicated LAN areas that gamers can choose from when buying tickets — which will be going on sale this weekend so make sure you get yours. Many gamers choose to keep going throughout the whole weekend and rock up with pillows and sleeping bags to take short naps between gaming sessions, and it can get a bit uncomfortable. No, rAge isn’t planning on setting up…

Streaming service Netflix launched five years ago with a very specific set of profile icons, and have decided to update them. At long last. The new options include characters from their own shows, because who doesn’t want the best single mom in TV, Steve from Stranger Things, as their calling card? Netflix hasn’t entirely abandoned its old icons. You can still be a masked superhero lady or a frowning guy with glasses. These options have just been given a little more colour and a slight tweak in design. Along with coloured-in old icons, you can choose from a few Netflix Originals…

Grammar mistakes: we all make them — but what if it was virtually impossible? Google has built a new grammar checker into their current Docs online software that uses machine learning to fix those odd syntax errors that sneak in every once in a while. Whether you’re writing an email reminding your future self to buy bread, or writing an extensive thesis on the effect of gravitational waves on the earth’s trajectory — you probably need extra grammatical help. Your standard spell-checking tool won’t catch these mistakes unless you use an extension like Grammarly. Well, say goodbye to extensions, because…

The small, family business that started selling small plastic building blocks, Lego, has created a special place for itself in pop culture over the decades. And it’s not so small anymore. Meanwhile, Fortnite: Battle Royale has been an overnight success with an average of more than 40 million monthly players only a year after launch. Now just imagine a Lego/Fortnite crossover. Now stop imagining it and take a look… YouTuber Bearly Regal created the ultimate mashup with a very convincing Lego Fortnite: Battle Royale gameplay trailer. Seriously, we thought this was for reals and are kinda crushed that it’s not.…

By now, we all know that there’s tension between the local paid-TV broadcaster (DStv parent Multichoice) and the international video-on-demand (VOD) streaming service, Netflix. There’s no love lost, and Netflix has just released a very South African-flavoured ad that takes a not-so-gentle dig at its satellite-focused competitor. Netflix published a video on Twitter this week that pokes fun at the complicated installations required by some rival services like, er, DStv… something Netflix of course doesn’t have to worry about. The premise is obviously mocking the analogue complexities of South Africa’s older entertainment giant… which could see the officials at Multichoice…

You know that mini heart palpitation you get when your brand new Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus drops out of the car when you’re literally on the way to buy a case for it? The company behind Gorilla Glass, Corning, feels your pain and has doubled up on protection. Their evolved Gorilla Glass 6 is supposedly twice as likely to survive drops as its primate ancestors. It can also survive 15 drops from 1m in height onto rough surfaces. That’s not something we would suggest you test for yourself though. “As consumers become more dependent on their smartphones, the opportunity for potentially…