Author: Trent Meikle

Meta, continuing its journey to improve security for WhatsApp, has introduced passkey-encrypted backups to ensure any precious “photos, heartfelt voice notes, and important conversations” aren’t lost to time. Passkeys first landed on WhatsApp in 2023, offering users more secure methods to lock down their accounts. Faster, more secure backups “Now, with just a tap or a glance, the same security that protects your personal chats and calls on WhatsApp is applied to your chat backups so they are always safe, accessible and private,” Meta wrote in its announcement. Passkeys are a digital credential stored locally on your devices that can replace…

Nintendo has found another way to wriggle some money out of us, and we’re sorry (for our wallets) to say it just might work. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’s soundtrack will receive a vinyl release in 2026 with the help of Laced Records in the form of a double-LP and a deluxe, eight-LP box that’ll set you back £145 (∼R3,300). “Breath of the Wild is one of the first major Nintendo soundtracks being made available on vinyl outside of Japan, and these collections highlight the game’s distinct musical palette, created by composers Manaka Kataoka, Yasuaki Iwata, Hajime Wakai…

This backpack ain’t big enough for two ereaders. Okay, fine — it is — but there’s really no point in carrying more than one around, is there? Rakuten’s Kobo wants to be the ereader in your backpack, with the likes of the Kobo Libra Colour, Clara Colour, and Clara BW. We’ve spent the past several weeks in the company of the Clara family (mainly the Colour) to see if Kobo really does have what it takes to stand up to the behemoth that is Kindle. And boy, does it. We didn’t think anything could get Kindle to falter, but Kobo…

Growing tired of Monopoly or, god forbid, Catan? A company by the name of Board hopes to change that with, well, Board — a 24in digital screen that’s part board game, part console, loaded with 12 technically original games out of the box. We guess that explains the high $500 (∼R8,500) price that’ll touch $700 after the initial sale. Feeling Board? “Families want to connect, but they’re competing with incredibly powerful technologies,” Putnam, the game’s creator, told USA Today. “Board is about flipping that dynamic — using tech to support real human connection instead of replacing it.” This is still…

Expanding South Africa’s growing collection of EV and PHEV (plug-in hybrid EV) cars comes the BYD Sea Lion 5, a “super” PHEV, taking shape as a compact SUV. The company hopes to see the Sea Lion 5 cruising the streets by November, complementing BYD’s recently announced ‘megawatt-scale’ EV charging network in SA. This one’s for the PHEV heads It may not have the allure of being South Africa’s most affordable EV (a title that belongs to BYD’s Dolphin Surf), and it won’t get anywhere near the company’s YangWang in terms of pure speed. But if the company sticks to its…

Your Uber driver may not be an Uber driver for much longer. Nvidia has struck a deal with the rideshare company that will see it lend its Drive AGX Hyperion 10 autonomous vehicle development platform — which can transform any vehicle into a level-4 capable self-driving one — enabling the company to grow its fleet of robotaxis to more than 100,000, beginning in 2027, according to the chip-maker. Nvidia’s in the driver’s seat It isn’t doing so without any help. Several other brands, including Stellantis and Foxconn, have also made moves to join in. Stellantis will build the cars, Nvidia will…

That Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion subscription is finally paying off… if you like playing GameCube games. After the GameCube Classics library launched alongside Ninty’s new Switch 2 — featuring only three games — the company is finally ready to deliver the sixth: Luigi’s Mansion lands on 30 October. In before ‘Luigi’s Mansion 1 HD’ https://youtu.be/GvN4hHpfVqQ You will, of course, need an active subscription to the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion (that ‘+ Expansion’ bit is key) to gain access to the built-in GameCube, Nintendo 64, Game Boy Advance, and SEGA Genesis emulators. It’s also worth noting that the GameCube Classics library…

It’s been months since DJI first teased its very first robot vacuum, the Romo. Typically known for its selection of premium drones, the company’s first foray into the autonomous floor-cleaning market was always going to be high-end. But not even the cynical bunch at Stuff could have predicted it would be this premium. Having just launched in Europe, there’s no telling whether the company will deem South Africa worthy of the Romo. Comprising three models — the Romo S, Romo A, and Romo P — the devices start at €1,299 (∼R26,000)  and stretch as high as €1,899 (∼R38,200), placing them out of…

With little over a week left before the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) adjusts the country’s fuel prices for November, the Central Energy Fund (CEF) has published fresh predictions that are bound to make all motorists happy. Petrol, diesel, and paraffin prices all face a price cut at the pumps as soon as next week. The DMRE typically adjusts fuel pump prices on the first Wednesday of the new month. In this case, that falls on Wednesday, 5 November, with the department publishing the coming changes a day or two before. This is to give motorists enough time…

Instead of spending your hard-earned cash at some retailer, Hisense would rather you spend it at the company’s first-ever, “premium brand store” in South Africa, opening its doors soon at the Canal Walk shopping centre in Cape Town. The company hopes to make the most of Black Friday with the doors opening on 1 November. Big deals (and even bigger TVs) in store The store, currently in its “final design phase”, will allow visitors to “explore, test, and interact with the brand’s most advanced creations.” So… a store. Still, it’s probably worth a visit if you’ve got one of the…