Author: Trent Meikle

It’s finally that time of the month again, folks. Time for the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) to pass judgement on the country’s petrol and diesel price updates for March 2025. Fortunately, the DMRE has delivered a verdict that all South Africans will find agreeable. As ever, the DMRE’s adjustments will only become official the minute the clock strikes twelve – meaning that you’ll want to hold off until Wednesday, 5 March before filling up. While the petrol price predictions throughout February, courtesy of the Central Energy Fund (CEF), showed price improvements for most grades of fuel, it…

Siri wants a bite of the apple (intelligence) While Amazon is making strides in its disembodied voice with artificial intelligence, Apple isn’t doing so well. It’s an open secret that Apple is desperate to make Siri a little smarter with the help of Apple Intelligence, the Big Fruit Company’s AI outfit. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman (via The Verge), Apple “won’t release a “true modernized, conversational version of Siri … until iOS 20 at best in 2027.” That isn’t stopping Apple from releasing something AI-related during the iOS 18 lifecycle, reportedly targeting a release alongside iOS 18.5. This will be an LLM-powered…

There’s no denying TikTok’s supremacy in the war for our ever-shortening attention spans, leaving YouTube and Instagram to vie for second place. The latter, in the hands of Meta, hopes to claw back some of those numbers by launching a separate Reels app that’ll get people clicking faster than they were previously. Unlike Instagram’s last attempt to snatch away Twitter’s users with Threads, Instagram Reels has the benefit of brand recognition behind it, ensuring that Instagram’s latest venture won’t flop quite as hard as all the rest. Keepin’ it Reel It’s worth mentioning that Instagram hasn’t fully committed to the…

If you’ve cautiously resisted hopping aboard Sony’s PSVR 2 train until this moment, all that hard work is about to pay off. Starting this March, Sony will drastically cut the price of the company’s VR efforts to $400 (∼R7,400), down from the original starting price of $550 when the headset first launched in February 2023. This isn’t specific to the United States. Sony’s blog post announcing the “great new price” for the PSVR 2 mentions that similar price cuts are headed for the UK, Europe, and Japan – leaving out how the change would affect the rest of the world,…

After FNB’s abrupt dismissal of its partnership with Shoprite in favour of a glamorous new team-up with Pick n Pay, the retail brand has sought a new partner for discounts while shopping at its own and Checkers stores: Standard Bank. More specifically, the local bank’s UCount Rewards, adding to its ongoing collaboration with Discovery. In what feels like a dig at FNB, Shoprite’s announcement reads: “Africa’s biggest bank and Africa’s biggest retailer have teamed up to offer customers Africa’s biggest grocery rewards. This comes as the Shoprite Group doubles down on transparent partnerships that offer shoppers real value. ” Shoprite…

Following the team-up of FNB’s eBucks and Pick n Pay back in October, FNB is ready to take the relationship to the next level. The two are once again collaborating to “add more value for all their FNB and RMB Private Bank’s customers,” the local bank said in a press release. That means even better deals for FNB customers who like to do their shopping at Pick n Pay, or even have their products delivered directly. “This follows the increasingly positive customer response to the 99c bread rewards and the launch to the FNB Private Segment (those earning in excess of…

We were all for it when Amazon floated the idea of a smarter, AI-powered Alexa assistant. We were even willing to fork over the rumoured $5-10/m subscription fee to give it a go. But after Amazon’s Alexa-themed showcase last night, our excitement is sapped. Not because it can’t live up to Amazon’s bold claims, but because it’ll cost you $20/m (∼R370/m) for the privilege. “Today, we’re excited to introduce Alexa+, our next-generation assistant powered by generative AI. Alexa+ is more conversational, smarter, personalized—and she helps you get things done,” Amazon’s Panos Panay wrote in a press release. ” Alexa+ knows,…

At a launch event held in Johannesburg this afternoon, Oppo debuted the Reno 13 Series in South Africa a couple of months ahead of schedule. Unlike last year, the Reno 13 Pro was missing from the launch line-up this year, paving the way for the Reno 13 5G and, eventually, the Reno 13 F 5G – both of which are set to join Oppo’s broader smartphone array in SA. That doesn’t mean Oppo’s Reno 13 Pro won’t land locally eventually. Oppo might just have a couple of tricks up its sleeve to keep itself in the conversation as 2025 progresses.…

We feel as if we’ve stepped back in time what with the daily load shedding updates from Eskom. This time, however, we come bearing good news. After four days of non-stop power cuts, spanning Stages 2-6, Eskom has finally suspended load shedding, ending this week-long nightmare. For now, at least. “Following the recovery of the generation capacity and replenishment of emergency reserves, load shedding will be suspended at 5:00 AM,” the power utility wrote in a post on X during the early hours of Wednesday morning. Eskom followed through on its promise, halting power cuts at 05h00 on the morning…

Google may have removed its vow to never use artificial intelligence (AI) for warfare, but hey – at least we’re getting some free coding help out of it. Right? Google Cloud announced today that its code-optimised Gemini Code Assist tool is adding a free version for individual developers who need a hand in the coding department. Like the premium model, it’s kitted out with the Gemini 2.0 model to ensure the “quality of AI-generated recommendations” is “better than ever before,” Gemini Code Assist for individuals landed globally today as part of a public preview, targeting students, start-ups, and even full-blown…