Author: Trent Meikle

We’d be willing to bet that you plummeted so far into the pits of cringe in your youth that you DM’d the odd celebrity on Instagram (Messi was busy, right?) before reflecting on your mistakes. Kids today won’t learn shame at Instagram’s knee the way we did. Not after Meta’s latest update, at least, which gives users a way to create an entirely artificial version of themselves that’ll interact with real-life people. And each other, we guess. You get a chatbot, you get a chatbot! The idea is to give creators, brands, and celebrities a way to engage with their…

Apple Intelligence dawdles at the finish line If you’ve been eagerly awaiting your first big date with the Fruit Company’s take on AI – Apple Intelligence – once it arrives alongside the incoming iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 updates, you might want to take a seat. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple has delayed the rollout of Apple Intelligence, ultimately missing the release meant to coincide with the launch of Apple’s new devices in September. Instead, new iPhone owners will have to wait until October, or more specifically, iOS 18.1 or iPadOS 18.1 to get their hands on Apple Intelligence,…

Considering that nobody has yet been able to successfully challenge Google’s Search dominance, our hopes aren’t all that high that OpenAI’s newly announced SearchGPT – a “temporary prototype” engine featuring access to information from “relevant sources” across the web, all in real-time — can take on Google just yet. “Designed to give you an answer” is OpenAI’s mantra in the build-up to SearchGPT’s launch, which is, unfortunately, limited to a very select number of users while OpenAI tests its viability in the market (you can hit up the waitlist here). The best features will eventually be mixed in with ChatGPT,…

We’re willing to bet Skyworth’s QVWi sub-brand isn’t even on your radar, let alone inside your home. Showmax on the other hand, MultiChoice’s home-grown streaming service, is a household name. The two have partnered up to release Showmax-branded 4K TVs and streaming boxes – a cheat code for the South African market that’s sure to bump up QVWi’s cred from here on out. Showmax takes a Leap of faith The devices, which include a “range of streaming devices as well as smart TVs” include the newer and more powerful Leap S3 streaming box and a weaker Leap S2 streaming stick.…

There’s no other way to say it, Deadpool & Wolverine is exactly what you’d expect from a team-up featuring the R-rated heroes in this new era for the MCU. It’s an excuse to get Ryan Reynolds’ and Hugh Jackman’s burgeoning bromance on the big screen for two hours and change. Go in expecting the usual tirade of dick jokes, excellent chemistry between the leads, and visually stunning choreography, and Deadpool & Wolverine won’t disappoint. That’s not to say the film doesn’t have a personality beyond the usual Deadpool gimmicks we’ve become so familiar with in his last two solo outings. Mixed in with the…

We’ve never been big fans of Google’s Play Store. It gets the job done, at least once you’ve gotten around the slew of sponsored apps that sit atop a simple search across the store. Google’s latest update might change our feelings with new features such as AI-powered review summaries and something called Collections, supposedly turning Google Play into “an end-to-end experience that’s more than a store.” We don’t have high hopes that we’ll be glued to the Play Store when Google’s through with it. But it’s worth a shot. Putting the Google into the Google Play Store https://youtu.be/Z68coQCh2KE First up…

You read the headline correctly, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III is officially coming to Game Pass today, 24 July. Unfortunately, we’re not talking about 2011’s half-decent Modern Warfare 3 but 2023’s shambolic (or so we’ve heard) attempt to capitalize on the nostalgia left in the wake of the original Modern Warfare series. Not the Call of Duty you want, but the Call of Duty you get You’ll need a dying Game Pass for Console, PC Game Pass or Game Pass Ultimate subscription before you can drop into the latest Call of Duty without first paying a hefty fee. Those currently subscribed to the R100/m Game…

Is it just us, or is Microsoft looking a little hangdog of late? We reckon it may have something to do with the entirely unwarranted culling of its Game Pass for Console game pass tier (and subsequent price hike across the board), which will eventually see a new (and more expensive) ‘Standard’ tier take its place come September. Whatever the case, Xbox may have another tier or two hidden up its sleeve. Not dead yet That’s what the folks over at Windows Central have heard, at least. The idea, it seems, would be to introduce a cloud-based version of the subscription that…

The idea of the TV box isn’t dead just yet. We’ve certainly seen a drop-off recently in quantity from the big players like Apple and Xiaomi, whose TV Box S (2nd-gen) is still one of our favourites, but Google might just revive the genre. According to a report from 9to5Google, the company is working on a sequel to its Chromecast with Google TV (4K) device from 2020, this time taking the form of a ‘traditional’ TV box. It’s getting streamy in here Yup, Google has nixed the out-of-sight dongle. Instead, judging by images shared with 9to5Google, it’s opted for an…

We have good news, ladies and gentlemen. After a fairly poor showing where the first petrol price predictions for August are concerned, the Central Energy Fund (CEF) has stepped up and thrown the country a gift, arriving in the form of new mid-month fuel predictions, captured 22 July. While petrol was teased to see a tiny price drop, diesel drivers were forced to stomach what could have been a relatively large 11-26c price hike. Petrol on your mind? That’s no longer the case. Sure, the CEF’s latest batch of predictions somewhat diminishes the already small price decrease promised to petrol…