Author: Stuff writer

Beta Yourself is all about improving your skills in one sphere or another. No matter how good you are at one, there’s always something new to learn. That tracks over to something as seemingly innocuous as working from home. The pandemic shutdown showed most of the world just how hard it actually is to spend time away from other human beings. It’s not all waking up late and doing meetings while still wearing your fuzzy slippers. That’s why Stuff has the tips you need to make the most out of not having to drive into the office every day. A…

If you’re using a smartphone with ‘Ultra’ appended to the end of it, it better be incredible. That’s the case with Samsung’s Galaxy S23 Ultra, which has edged out last year’s Samsung headliner as the best Android we’ve ever laid hands on. But a few months is a long time in tech and the S23 Ultra is getting a bit long in the tooth and slower in the processor. Okay, not really, but it’s still worth doing what you can to spruce up an already excellent device if you’ve got the ability. Given the original price for entry, it’s not…

There are apps for everything now. Even the (currently) most advanced software tech is available in smartphone app form. Better still, it won’t cost you a cent unless you want it to — so if you’re hoping to use artificial intelligence professionally you’ve got yet another subscription fee in your near future. But if you’re just a dabbler or curious about what life under our future AI overlords look like, there are a bunch of free apps to interact with. These are no slouches either. In this edition of Mini Meme, we’ve got a bunch of the best (free) smartphone…

Huawei’s latest intelligent wearable, the Watch GT 4, is the perfect companion for a stylish and healthy lifestyle. It’s available in 46mm and 41mm models with five distinct design options to choose from. Both models feature Huawei’s improved TruSeen 5.5+ health indicator monitoring technology, as well as the upgraded TruSleep 3.0 suite of sleep tracking and monitoring tech. If you’re the sporty type, it supports over 100 sports modes. Experience the fashion-forward devices fresh out the box and hear more about the specs and functions on offer in our unboxing and first impressions video. The Huawei Watch GT 4 46mm…

The Sonos Era 300 represents exactly what the name suggests – a new era for Sonos. While the Era 100 is a direct replacement for the Sonos One, the Era 300 is the start of something new. Sonos claims it doesn’t replace the Five (R15,000) and we’re inclined to agree. The Sonos Five can’t match the Era 300’s spatial audio smarts even if it wanted to, especially not at R13,000. If you’re keen on getting your foot in the spatial audio door, then the Era 300 is not optional. Like the Five, you can seamlessly pair two Era 300s for…

It takes something especially powerful to take the concept of space and make it boring. There’s arguably nothing more exciting than the idea of exploring what lies out in the great beyond; it’s a fantasy that many popular sci-fi stories have attempted to capture to varying degrees of success. Following in the footsteps of No Man’s Sky and Elite Dangerous, Bethesda’s Starfield is the latest game to try to make good on the promise of intergalactic escapades and while it succeeds in some respects, many baffling decisions rooted in outdated design hold it back from capitalizing on the call of…

Vodacom wants to help solve South Africa’s energy crisis by signing a virtual wheeling agreement with Eskom, which it says is the first of its kind. “In addition to adding capacity to the nation’s power grid, this agreement – a Vodacom innovation which has been co-developed with Eskom – will also play a significant role in moving Vodacom closer to its goal of sourcing 100% of its electricity demand from renewable energy sources by 2025,” Vodacom said. It will not only “help accelerate efforts to solve the country’s energy crisis” but will also allow Vodacom to secure Independent Power Producers…

There was a collective groan from the world’s comedians when Donald Trump lost the US election. There goes the headline-creating buffoonery. But this week, Trump was back – and for all the wrong reasons. After becoming the first US president to have his mugshot taken, the orange-haired one’s image has become an internet meme already. The Florida Man tweeted posted it himself – so he has only himself to blame for the ensuing comedy – which is ironic and much funnier. https://t.co/MlIKklPSJT pic.twitter.com/Mcbf2xozsY — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 25, 2023 Before long, the 45th president of the United States…

When Ann suffered a stroke over 18 years ago, she was left badly paralysed and unable to speak or type. The only way she could communicate was through movement-tracking technology which she used to individually select letters. She could only produce 14 words a minute. But a remarkable breakthrough has enabled her to speak through a digital avatar that also shows her facial expressions, The Guardian reported. The 47-year-old Ann (only her first name is given) suffered what is known as a brainstem stroke nearly 20 years ago. Meta’s got nothing on this “Our goal is to restore a full,…

We get it. You’re busy. You’ve got kids. You’ve never read anything more involved than Percy Jackson. Seriously, who has time to read anymore? Once in a blue moon, you’ll manage to steal an hour or two of time to yourself – if Eskom doesn’t decide to switch off the lights. Trouble is, when you do make the time, you’ve got nothing to read, or worse, you’ve got too much to read. It’s a real issue. Trust us. We know, we know. Stuff is, first and foremost, a tech publication. When you want to get back into reading or look…