Author: Marcé

Samsung’s previous flagship range of devices, the S21 and friends, will turn one year old soon. Which means we’re due for an upgrade. Samsung’s upcoming flagship devices, the rumoured S22 range, have been a hot topic in the rumour mill as of late. Here’s everything we know so far.  Dummy models of the devices surfaced online recently, and the gig was over once YouTubers started getting a hold of ‘em. But these dummies revealed something much more interesting than we could’ve ever expected – another Note-style device.  Well, OK… #Samsung #GalaxyS22 #GalaxyS22Plus #GalaxyS22Ultra #Dummy pic.twitter.com/CD8rnHhStx — Steve H.McFly (@OnLeaks) December…

It’s challenging to find a tech headline that doesn’t contain the words ‘metaverse’ or ‘NFT’ in recent weeks. While it’s by no means a new concept, Facebook’s name change in late 2021 prompted even more coverage. Big brands, tech-related or not, are jumping on board the phenomenon. Apparently, Apple isn’t interested in offering its users any part of it. For now.  Apples and pears According to the latest newsletter by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the metaverse will be ‘off-limits’ in the company’s upcoming launch of its first VR product. The report details that Apple will focus on “short stints of communication,…

Google’s smart home hardware may lose certain features thanks to a spat between it and the well-known audio maker Sonos. In 2021 it became clear that the two companies share a lot of tech that Sonos has managed to patent before Google, which meant they had to head to court to sort it out.  Now the US International Trade Commission has ruled that Google is in violation of five Sonos patents – ones specifically relating to smart speakers. The ruling is fairly harsh, and could even see Google barred from importing its Google Home tech into the US. Especially if…

Up until now, cars haven’t been completely customisable. Sure, you can spec it according to taste and choose a hue from the catalogue on the dealer’s desk, but not much more. Now BMW has revealed a concept version of its iX electric SUV at CES 2022 that can change its colour on demand.  This is thanks to a type of colour-changing paint that’s similar to the e-ink used in Kindle displays and other e-readers.  BMW’s gone and made a chameleon This color changing @BMWUSA #iX is wild! It’s apparently very temperature sensitive so they have a backup in a trailer…

The ‘20s in tech is all about making things that couldn’t fold before, fold. That means engineering different types of displays, and placing components in such a way that they’ll function. Asus knows its away around this dance. The company just revealed the world’s first consumer-aimed foldable laptop, called the ZenBook 17 Fold OLED, at CES 2022.  ZenBook in the Fold The ZenBook 17 Fold features a rather large foldable 17.3in the display, that rocks a 2,560 x 1,920 resolution when unfolded. When in its folded ‘book’ format, you get dual 1,920 x 1,280 displays. It comes with a BlueTooth…

The only machine capable of printing driver’s licences in South Africa experienced some kind of critical failure in mid-November. Honestly, we think most of the population did the same after two years of fighting the pandemic. The problem is that this machine is still out of service, with a backlog of over 383,000 driver’s licences.  The South African public called for answers shortly after. Why is there only one licence printing machine in the whole of SA? In a recent interview with Newzroom Africa, Layton Beard, a spokesperson for the Automotive Association of South Africa detailed the reasoning for the…

South Africa’s always been late to the tech party – that’s largely still true with regards to many mainstream mobile phones and many other devices. At least the current government isn’t deliberately limiting access to this tech, like the NP did with televisions in the ‘60s and ‘70s.  South Africa was one of the last countries to adopt television tech, much later than even some African counterparts. South Africans couldn’t even watch the historical moon landing in 1969 due to the lack of commercial television sets.  What’s a TV? Commercial television became prominent in the rest of the world by…

Asus pitched up to CES 2022 with some interesting gaming hardware in their ROG-branded suitcase. And most of it fits in a suitcase, based on its most interesting device this year. This is Asus’ ultra-portable ROG Flow Z 13 gaming laptop.  With an increased focus on mobile gaming technology, Asus’ ROG Flow Z13 joins the Flow X13 we managed to get our hands on last year. The Asus Flow X13 also received the upgrade treatment with flashy new internals – but we’ll get to that later.  Go with the Flow The Flow Z13 is based on a similar format –…

As the world’s humans try to implement a more optimistic approach for the new year, it’s important to look back and remember what a dumpster fire the last two years have been.  Yes, we’re officially in our third year of the pandemic. The past year has been a whirlwind of shock, grief, evolving us into an adaptable workforce while developing solutions to our newfound problems.  I’m sure we can all agree that the best tech produced in the past year is the mRNA vaccine currently being distributed to the humans of Earth.  We also saw a few duds though. 2021 produced…

Dozen it look good? But the new version of Google’s OS is more than just a visual refresh. Stuff delves into its smart new privacy features, revamped gestures and more… The Basics Embrace diversity: With Android you’re reliant on the whims of your device’s manufacturer. Whether or not you get Android 12 – and in what state – is down to them. The features we’re covering here are from the vanilla install you’d get on a Google Pixel; with luck, they’ll soon rock up on whatever you’re using. Keep things private: In the Settings app, head to Privacy > Privacy…