Author: Marcé

Humans have grown so used to safe electronics that we’ve forgotten the fear of having our gadgets spontaneously combust. Yeah, it happens every once in a while (ahem… Samsung Note 7). But it’s not as prevalent as you’d think. Until people’s security cameras started setting themselves on fire and Ring started recalling them this week.  Smart security tech company Ring (that officially launched in South Africa recently), started recalling hundreds of thousands of smart doorbells after reports rolled in of the devices catching fire. The affected doorbells are the company’s second-gen door ringers, all sold in the US and Canada. …

After about five minutes of arguing about the name of this vehicle, the Stuff team decided to call it the Honda Ball-ade. A South African icon, the Ballade launched in South Africa in 1982. It’s been a long time coming, but the new Ballade is available in South Africa.  “We are delighted to launch the all-new Ballade to coincide with the celebration of Honda Motor Southern Africa’s 20th anniversary,” says Yuishi Fukuda, president of Honda Motor Southern Africa.  Even more interesting, this Ballade is Honda’s first ‘RS’ model to launch in Southern Africa. This brings some luxury features to a…

DStv’s new Explora Ultra is now available, bringing streaming to the masses in SA. This time, you don’t need a smart TV to stream. Just the new decoder. The new Explora Ultra launches in South Africa this week and brings more than just dish content — this time, you get access to Showmax and other streaming options too. “The first generation Explora launched seven years ago with updated versions of the device released over the years culminating in the Explora 3A decoder. The Explora Ultra builds on its predecessor with exciting new features,” the press release reads.  What you get…

Apple continued to amaze us this week by announcing its very own PC processing unit called M1. All of the new Mac hardware will use the new silicon chips, and with that in mind, it’s developed its upcoming macOS, named Big Sur. Because… mountains, amiright? Although Apple previewed the upcoming software update at its developer conference earlier this year, one thing was missing: the M1 chip. That means Apple had to wait for the official M1 announcement to really explore the features of macOS Big Sur — which is why this was the first proper look at features in detail. …

We’re not ones to body-shame notebooks. We love all tech. But we particularly love tech that moves in unconventional ways. Asus’ new entry-level convertible notebook, the ZenBook Flip 13 will do all the moving for you, coming in at just R20,000 locally for the entry-level variation.   Asus makes stellar hardware across the board — and there’s no doubt a market for convertibles. It’s just… they’re generally aimed at designers and feature some top-tier hardware. This time, however, you get some great mid-range hardware packed into a small chassis, ready to slip into whatever backpack you travel with.  The Asus ZenBook…

Remember the days when Nokia made everything that was good in tech? At one point it looked like we could lose the brand completely, but now it’s coming back with brilliant mid-range tech for the masses. Exactly what it stood for in the time of the 3310.  Now it looks like Nokia is officially launching an Android TV streaming box in Europe — which gives us a good indication that it might come to South Africa. The Streaming Box 8000 comes fitted with a Nokia logo and will be sold in Europe through a company called Streamview. They will sell…

Nothing quite hypes up a nation like a next-gen console launch. Especially South Africans. Well, if you’ve been saving up your hard-earned pocket money to hit the stores and buy an Xbox Series S or X tomorrow 10 November, you may be in for a disappointment.  “Due to some unforeseen logistical challenges, some stores in South Africa may receive their stock of the new Xbox Series X and Series S on Launch Day or possibly a day late,” a press release details.  Sans-Xbox Although the stock of both the next-gen Xbox consoles has been shipped to the various retail outlets…

It’s no secret that a global push to minimise carbon emissions is underway. It’s also no secret that South Africa’s dragging its feet in implementing a cleaner, greener transition when it comes to power production. A new report by Bloomberg details how the South African government plans to transition Eskom into a carbon-neutral power utility by 2050. That’s 30 years from now. Reckon they can do it? “Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd., South Africa’s debt-ridden utility, may eliminate carbon emissions at its power plants only by 2050, according to a government task force,” Bloomberg reports.  The promise comes from the utility’s…

It’s easy to consider the FNB mobile app to be among the best banking apps in South Africa. FNB has built useful features into the app over the past few years. That includes the mighty useful nav» hub that’s designed to help customers manage their money.  Nav»igate life a little better But it’s far more. Now, customers can use nav»Car to renew vehicle licences and manage fines. Today FNB announced that its app will feature car sales capabilities to browse, choose, buy and finance a new car through Wesbank. “Today you will be able to view up to 16 brands…

Don’t you just hate paying for streaming services? Yeah, it’s important to pay directors, actors and teams who put content together just for us but it’s such a drag sometimes. Well, you’re in luck because Showmax has just announced a completely free ad-supported subscription for people who don’t want to pay for its content.  The local video streaming service has “introduced a subscription-free streaming service in South Africa,” according to the press release. Named ‘Showmax Free’, the service is designed to reach more people who may not be convinced by the service’s options yet. This way, users can stream content…