Author: Stuff writer

Listen up, tiny computer fans! Microsoft has just launched the Sharks Cove, its Windows-based answer to the Raspberry Pi – although its price tag suggests that it’s aimed at a slightly wealthier market. While the current Pi, the Model B+, costs just R450, the Sharks Cove is priced at $299 (R3,200) – but that does include the Windows 8.1 operating system and all the necessary utilities to run it on the board. SWIMMING (AND CODING) WITH SHARKS The board itself is based on a quad-core Intel Atom processor (the Pi uses ARM architecture) and sports 1GB of RAM and 16GB…

Huawei has announced that its TalkBand B1 fitness tracker/headset hybrid has landed in the UK, meaning that SA is (hopefully) not too far behind. Unlike feature-packed smartwatches like the Android Wear-powered LG G watch or Samsung’s Gear 2, the TalkBand keeps things simple. While you can’t use it find your way to the nearest cocktail bar or take spy shots of squirrels, you can use it to track your steps and exercise stats, including how many calories you’ve burned. It’s also got basic notification support, letting you know when you’ve got messages and emails, and you can also filter incoming…

Scotland-based artists Chris Helson and Sarah Jackets have created a 3D holographic video installation which allows you to watch the action from any direction. Named Help Me Obi (for hopefully obvious reasons), the installation is more of a 360 degree video system than a true hologram, although the videos still look like they’re floating in the middle of a room. Unlike actual 3D holograms which let you walk around and view different angles of objects depending on your position, this system shows off the same angle no matter where you’re standing. [vimeo url=”http://vimeo.com/73161507″] We’re not entirely sure how the system…

It’s time we did Apple a favour. As you might have heard, the tech giant broke its own rules last week by previewing its new desktop OS, OS X 10.10 Yosemite, via a beta program. That’s a first for Apple, although you needed to act fast to get the update – only the first million applicants got access. Well, seeing as beta releases are all about getting feedback from users, we’ve come up with a list of improvements that we’d make if we had the chance. Because as brilliant as we think Yosemite is – and you can find out…

October could be a big month for Mac users, if a report by 9to5Mac turns out to be correct: the site claims the month will see the full release not only of OS X Yosemite, but also of a 4K iMac desktop and 12in Retina display MacBook Air. Phew. The report claims that Yosemite will be available for download free-of-charge towards the end of October, and that the launch of new high resolution Mac computers around the same time isn’t mere coincidence: they’re a big selling point for the new operating system. Yosemite, you see, has been designed very much…

Samsung has partnered with Oculus VR for a phone-centric VR headset named Gear VR, but we already knew that. What’s new is that this device will most likely feature capabilities that include letting you switch between virtual reality and, er, real reality. SamMobile claims it’s got its hands on a pre-release version of the Gear VR manager (the software), and has revealed some of the functionality that it’ll possess, alongside specifying how it’ll work. Apparently, the head-mounted display will let you attach only Samsung Galaxy smartphones to the Gear VR device – other manufacturers’ phones won’t be compatible. It’s also…

Sony only introduced the Xperia Z2 this April, and it remains one of our favourite smartphones – but despite that it’s not long for this world. Just as it did last year with the Xperia Z and Z1, the company is plotting to replace its flagship a mere six months later. And unsurprisingly, its successor at the top of the Sony smartphone tree will be called the Z3. So is Sony planning to rip up the rule book and start again or will the new model be more of a subtle upgrade? Read on for everything we know (or think…

Google has embarked on an ambitious new project; an attempt to build a database of what a healthy human being should be. Dubbed Baseline Study, the project will kick off with researchers collecting anonymous genetic and molecular information from 175 people. The study will then draw information from thousands more in a bid to create a picture of a person in perfect health. It is hoped that the data collected will be used to help detect diseases, such as cancer and heart disease, much earlier than is currently possible. Dr. Andrew Conrad, who joined Google X – the company’s research…

Apple fanboy? Then you’ll be wanting to install the open beta of OS X 10.10 Yosemite on your shiny MacBook or iMac. Well DON’T DO ANYTHING YET. Sorry for shouting, but this is important. Yes, we know you’ve received your email from Apple and are about to install – but wait. Yosemite is beta software. It’s not fully baked. Unless you’re a combination of mad, crazy and insane, you’d be, well, mad, crazy and insane to install Yosemite on a Mac that you use on a day-to-day basis – at least if you haven’t prepared an escape route. BACK-UP YOUR…

Apple’s latest and greatest OS – OS X 10.10 Yosemite – will be out later on this year, with plenty of new tweaks and tricks to entice new and faithful Mac users alike. But you don’t have to wait until year’s end to give it a go. For the first time in its history Apple is launching a public beta – and it’s available right now (albeit limited to the first million people to sign up). So should you dive into the shimmering Lake Yosemite right now or wait for the water to get a bit warmer? We’ve spent the last…