Author: Trent Meikle

If you like to handle all your own vacuuming instead of giving the ‘bots even more independence, then you’ve probably dreamed about ditching that cord for some time. The Xiaomi G30 Max does that, while simultaneously ticking boxes you probably didn’t even realise you wanted. It’ll clean your home and clean it well, but for the hefty price of R8,800. That cord is starting to sound pretty good, isn’t it? Grab it by the handle Pony up, and you’ll be rewarded with a cordless, premium handheld vacuum that proved fairly easy to set up and even easier to use. It…

It wasn’t all that long ago that Apple refreshed the absurdly expensive Apple Vision Pro headset. Apple brought the M5 chip to the Fruit Company’s $3,500 AR (augmented reality) headset, alongside a new Dual Knit strap. It apparently wasn’t enough to revive interest in the headset, leading Apple to reportedly can the device. For good. Losing Vision That’s according to MacRumors, which reckons that interest has waned in the device ever since it hit shelves in 2024, reportedly selling around 600,000 units. At $3,500 a pop, that’s still a pretty penny, but not the long-life cash cow that it had initially hoped…

We can’t pretend we weren’t a little miffed when it looked like PlayStation had introduced a 30-day online license check that could leave you locked out of your digital games without an internet connection. Others, too, rebuked Sony’s policy that was a little too reminiscent of Xbox’s mistakes back in 2013. Fortunately, this isn’t the case. Good news for PlayStation gamers A Sony rep, speaking with GameSpot, has confirmed that the console only performs a single license check after a game has been purchased. This has seemingly been introduced to combat refund scams, preventing players who might refund a game from…

On its quest to stick AI in every nook and cranny it doesn’t belong, YouTube is testing out an AI-powered search tool. Because, as everyone knows, there’s nothing better than receiving text back from a search on a video-only platform. Our only reprieve? The test is limited to Premium subscribers in the US — and must be toggled on. Somehow, YouTube search got worse Google phrases the feature as “a new way to search on YouTube that feels more like a conversation,” as it pulls up relevant videos, Shorts, and text responses to (presumably) help you find what you’re looking for.…

After entering the scene with its Galaxy XR headset, Samsung seeks a battle with Meta in the smart glasses space. Up ’til now, rumours of Samsung’s first proper pair of smart specs were exactly that: rumours. Now, Android Headlines has offered consumers their first real look at Samsung’s specs, cementing them online. Heart of glasses Codenamed ‘Jinju’, Samsung’s first outing won’t match Meta’s Ray-Ban Display efforts, which forgo a heads-up display and let their tech do all the talking. That won’t be the case forever. A second pair — ‘Haean’ — is also in the works, touting a built-in display,…

With talk of yet another major petrol and diesel price hike hitting South African motorists come May, the National Treasury has confirmed that it will step in to offer a small break on the fuel tax. This mirrors the previous reduction offered to motorists in April, softening the blow of massive hikes due to rising oil costs. The relief will see R3/l knocked off petrol prices — the same as in April. Owing to the larger hikes facing diesel drivers, they will see a bigger cut of R3.93/l. Seems fair, considering. These changes will be officially introduced on 6 May,…

Backing up your WhatsApp chats via Google Drive or iCloud isn’t new. It’s been standard for the Meta-owned messaging app for the better part of a decade. But now, WhatsApp is looking to lessen its reliance on third-party backup solutions by simply building its own. It’s an area that could prove lucrative for Meta. Alarm bells began sounding in our heads the minute WABetaInfo reported the change. First, WhatsApp wants to offer users 2GB of “free” cloud storage. It immediately begs the question of why anyone would opt for WhatsApp’s storage when Google and Apple offer users up to 15GB…

If you thought Spotify selling printed books or a hybrid urn-speaker was the strangest thing you’d see the music streamer do… you’d still be right. Spotify’s latest addition of Peloton’s fitness-centric content to the app seems a good fit for the brand, even if it does rely on the company’s wholly unusual introduction of video-first content. Can you spot(ify) me? That means Spotify users can skip overpaid personal trainers and take advantage of the 1,400+ on-demand classes the app currently offers. You can find these on the app by simply searching for ‘Fitness’ and clicking. Unfortunately, without a R180/m Premium…

Your digital games are being put under the microscope at PlayStation. Every thirty days, actually, if the reports flooding the internet this weekend are correct. Some users reckon that a recent update pushed to PS4 and PS5 consoles is quietly checking your purchased games’ online licenses in the background — not just PS+ titles. It’s a Damn Restrictive Mess, if you ask us Potential major DRM issue rolled out by PlayStation (and Xbox as well, allegedly). All new PSN purchases now have a 30 day validation countdown. Already investigating to find out more details. pic.twitter.com/4hqMdWfJ2T — Does it play? (@DoesItPlay1)…

Is Xbox… back? It’s certainly been gone for some time, having given up on just about everything that made it a competitor in the space. Even the one thing it had going for it — Game Pass — was slowly drifting towards the toilet. That is, until the new Xbox Ceo, Asha Sharma, righted the Xbox ship by cutting prices this week. It’s a great first step for Xbox. And it may be taking the next one soon, if the leaks are right. The company is reportedly looking to introduce a new ‘Starter Edition’ Game Pass tier that’ll drop the price…