Author: Trent Meikle

If your dream has always been to see an official Optimus Prime Lego set, then consider your dreams fulfilled. This collaboration between LEGO and Hasbro is the first time the companies have ever worked together, and it was worth the wait. The Optimus Prime toy not only looks uber cool. It also transforms. But no, it can’t transform on its own. It’ll still need your help to do that. Before it can do that, you have 1,508 pieces to assemble first. Expect the set to cost $170 (roughly R2, 700) which isn’t bad, considering the price of Lego in general.…

Disney+ is coming soon. Real soon. The streaming service marks its debut in South Africa on 18 May, less than a week away. Disney has been on quite the campaign for Disney+ in South Africa, offering a cheaper yearly subscription for those that sign up extra early. This is still ongoing, so get over there quick if you’d like to save some money. At the end of April, DStv announced that viewers could subscribe to Disney+ directly on their Explora decoder, making payments simpler. But now, DStv has begun sending subscribers who are part of the DStv Rewards Loyalty Programme…

You know Google Maps. The app that’s been around for years, letting you live out fantasies of visiting Stonehenge or the London Eye as if you were on the street next to them. Well, earlier this week, Google launched an even better way of viewing the world, known as ‘Immersive View’. It’s actually quite magnificent. Think of the Street View you’re used to, but up in the sky. Using Immersive View, you can scout out big cities around the world, with Maps using its own traffic and weather data to create a realistic view of the cities. If you don’t…

Alphabet Inc’s Google has announced the addition of 24 new languages to Google Translate. Two of these are spoken widely in South Africa, namely; Sepedi and Tsonga. Google has added the languages because, according to Google, Sepedi is spoken by 14 million people around South Africa. Tsonga is not as common, but still has a whopping 7 million speakers scattered through Zimbabwe, Eswatini, Mozambique, and South Africa. The addition of these 24 languages brings Google Translate’s total up to 133. Google Translate now has seven of South Africa’s official languages on offer, with Sepedi and Tsonga joining English, Afrikaans, Sesotho,…

Disney is riding high in the streaming industry lately, with the Mouse’s new Disney+ service adding 7.9 million new subscribers in 2022. The news was announced on Wednesday during the company’s Q2 earnings report. In total, the service now has close to 87.6 million subscribers. This excludes the 50.1 million users on Hotstar, a package aimed at Indian viewers. Hang on, why do they get cricket? The trend of Disney+ gaining subscribers doesn’t appear to be slowing down any time soon. A small portion of their newest subscribers will be from South Africa since the service is making its way…

Back in 2019, Vodacom set out to a Mpumalanga town called Wakkerstroom in order to connect its residents using 3G and 4G. Wakkerstroom is a small town known for its farming, with its citizens placing a heavy reliance on the industry. Vodacom’s plan was to give the entire population – just over 1,400 people – a bunch of 3G- and 4G-enabled devices. Plus the connectivity to make use of them. The project was initiated with BPG Langfontein, a farm company in the town. Most of Wakkerstroom relies on BPG Langfontein as a source of food and of work. But with…

One of the biggest names in the video game industry, EA Sports FIFA has officially ended its partnership with the football conglomerate of the same name. That isn’t to say EA isn’t making football games anymore, future titles will just be needing a new name. The new official title as stated by EA will be known as EA Sports FC. The sad thing is, that’s probably the best name they could come up with. Let’s not go too hard on them. The news isn’t exactly surprising since EA was already discussing the possibility of ending their partnership back in October…

The Lord of the Rings: Heroes of Middle-Earth is publisher Electronic Arts’ next foray into the world of mobile gaming. Announced this week, Heroes of Middle-Earth will be a ‘collectible role-playing game’ and will first be released in beta form. The beta kicks off in the next few months. Hopefully, the thrill of opening loot boxes will keep the blood pumping and keep us warm. Oh, and it’ll also be free-to-play. Whether it’s free-to-win is still to be decided. The game is being developed by EA Capital, makers of Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes. You may remember Galaxy of Heroes…

Imagine, for a moment, that you could play Halo Infinite without the need for a computer or Xbox? Well, Microsoft may be thinking along those same lines. Reports claim that Microsoft will release a streaming device that will allow players to access the Game Pass Ultimate library, along with movies and TV services. The device will apparently be similar to either Amazon’s Fire Stick or will arrive in a small box shape. So a Chromecast for video games, basically. This means all you’d need is a TV with a working HDMI port, a more-than-decent internet connection, a subscription to Xbox…

According to the Driving Licence Card Account (DLCA), South Africans may get new driver’s licences next year. The DLCA is responsible for the production of South Africa’s drivers’ licences. The new versions are planned for release in October 2023. The tricky bit about them? They may include blockchain features. Or maybe they won’t. The announcement was made during the DLCA’s latest annual performance plan. At the same presentation, it was shown that the new cards will feature a new design, along with extra security features. The DLCA want to use its new licences as an opportunity to ‘re-engineer the process’.…