Author: Trent Meikle

As if the allure of zero advertisements, a massive catalogue of music, and a host of experimental features weren’t already worth the R72/m price of admission, YouTube has cooked up some new ideas that it hopes will sway fence-sitting customers into making the jump to YouTube Premium. One of those is something it calls Premium Lite, sporting a half-baked array of features for a few bucks less. Another is the promise of higher-quality audio. YouTube turns it up to 11 It’s that last one that’s got us all riled up. As it stands, YouTube’s watchers – regardless of their status…

Google is finally making good on its promise to expand Google Wallet to kids of all ages, a feature that was initially announced in October last year. No longer will your child have to interrupt your afternoons with pleas for cash or your own bank card. Instead, parents can send their little ones on the way with nothing but an Android smartphone loaded up with Google Wallet (although a few funds wouldn’t go amiss, either). Google’s not kidding around “Rolling out over the next few weeks, kids can use Google Wallet to securely tap to pay in stores and keep…

Was your morning ritual disrupted by a particularly low-quality YouTube video? You’ll be glad to learn that it isn’t due to a suffering internet connection, a faulty device, or your eyes playing tricks on you. In the past couple of hours, thousands of users have reported extremely low quality on Google’s online streamer, being forced to scrape by with 360p video quality – and in some cases, 144p. Gross. Blurred lines The issue, currently plaguing users across iOS, desktop, and even smart TVs, appears to have dodged Android users – at least according to our tests, as well as YouTube’s…

It’s that time of the year again. Time for South Africa’s telcos to whip out the collecting basket and charge you more. This time, it’s Telkom at the head of the line, announcing on Monday that it will adjust tariffs for its fixed broadband and voice services, affecting consumers and SMBs (small to medium businesses) alike. These refreshed prices will come into effect from 1 April 2025, and have been implemented in the name of providing “quality service” in the face of “increasing operational costs and external economic pressures,” the company said in a statement. “These adjustments… are essential to…

Microsoft, and more specifically, Xbox, has long championed accessibility in gaming, as evidenced by the company’s Adaptive Controller, which is designed for people with limited mobility. During Microsoft’s annual Ability Summit, the company took accessibility a step further, making the long-awaited Adaptive Joystick available for purchase – and further expanding opportunities for those without the necessary mobility to fairly turn their noses up at the travesty that is Starfield. First announced in August 2024 with a promised release date of early 2025, Microsoft has made good on its promises, debuting the new Adaptive Joystick for a reasonable $30 (∼R550). There’s just one catch—you’ll need to…

As we edge closer to the first Wednesday of April, the Central Energy Fund (CEF) has supplied the country with the mid-month petrol and diesel price predictions – and we’re glad to say they look just as hopeful as they did a week ago. Rather than foretelling a price hike – as has been the case for most of 2025 – the CEF predicts yet another price drop for all grades of petroleum-based fuels this April. Good news, everyone! It’s worth remembering that the CEF’s figures below are nothing more than predictions – and that the country’s petrol pumps will…

Apple ditching USB-C (eventually) How do you make smartphones slimmer than they already are? You nix the charging port. Duh. Smartphone manufacturers have shied away from ditching the now-standard USB-C port in favour of a fully wireless charging solution. Until now. Kinda. According to Mark Gurman’s Power On newsletter this weekend, Apple considered taking that leap with the upcoming iPhone 17 Air, before ultimately deciding against the change. While Apple will stick with the tried-and-tested USB-C port on the 17 Air, it’s clear where its mind is at. Gurman noted that the device will “foreshadow a move to slimmer models without…

How do you screw up a clone movie? You turn Edward Ashton’s Mickey7 novel into a feature-length film starring Robert Pattinson and call it Mickey 17. Coming from bona fide legend Bong Joon-ho in his first film since Parasite, Mickey 17 seemed like a sure-fire recipe for success. An introspective sci-fi black comedy with some of the industry’s biggest names attached? What could go wrong? A whole lot. We haD the pleasure of seeing Mickey 17 before its theatrical debut and walked away from the experience confused. Not that Mickey 17’s story is hard to follow, despite the virtually infinite moral quandries the…

If you thought AI-powered subtitles were a bad idea, then you’ll want to see what Prime Video has cooked up. Or maybe you don’t. Amazon, with a seemingly endless stream of money and artificial intelligence tech on hand, feels the time is ripe for AI-powered dubbing on certain licensed movies and series. Amazon is in the process of stuffing AI into nearly every revenue stream it has, most recently implementing a subscription-based Alexa+ that was designed to serve as a smarter home assistant (and the prequel to Her). Prime Video is no stranger to AI tech, either, having brought AI summaries…

Now here’s something you don’t see every day. Tesla’s Powerwall 3 is headed for SA’s shores nearly two years after its launch, courtesy of SegenSolar. Now that Eskom has revealed that all isn’t as it seems regarding load shedding, a power solution like the Powerwall 3 could prove an effective measure against those power bandits. “As the country faces ongoing load-shedding and rising energy costs, Tesla Powerwall 3 delivers a smarter, more powerful, and more efficient way to store solar energy, reduce grid dependence, and ensure uninterrupted power,” SegenSolar said. Nikola’s Powerwall dream Wondering what the hell a Powerwall is…