Author: Trent Meikle

One of the best things about Spotify is ‘Wrapped’ — a montage of all the music you’ve listened to for the past year, with the added benefit of putting your mate’s listening habits to shame. The next best thing about Spotify is that Wrapped is an annual event, meaning you only have to put up with seeing people ’em on social media for a week or two. Well, no longer. Sptoifty is introducing ‘listening stats’ for you to post about every single week. That’s a Wrapped We’re not quite sure why Spotify wants this info out in the open, and…

In the wake of its recently formed partnership with the Department of Home Affairs (DHA), Standard Bank has taken its first steps toward expanding the country’s smart ID and passport services at its bank branches. The bank revealed that it had acquired all the necessary tools and infrastructure to kit out twenty more of its branches with the tech in early 2026, up from the nine or so that already offer these services. Happy state of Home Affairs “We’ve moved from concept to execution, and the fact that we’ve already secured the infrastructure for 20 new branches shows just how…

Koeberg’s Unit 1 returns Rejoice, for the Koeberg Nuclear Power Station’s Unit 1 was successfully reconnected to the national grid this past weekend, further relieving stress from Eskom’s shoulders as it continues to combat load shedding. Eskom confirmed the milestone, which returned to service at 01h36 on 29 October, returning 936MW to the grid. Eskom said that Unit 1 was “in the process of ramping up,” and that Unit 2 was successfully generating 941MW. The electricity provider didn’t say how long this process would take, but that once it reaches ‘full output’, the two at Koeberg provide more than 1,860MW…

The mid-range train doesn’t stop in South Africa. Oppo has unveiled the Oppo A6 Pro 5G, targeting folks looking for a smartphone around the R11,000 mark. The A6 Pro brings with it a 6,500mAh battery, as well as faster charging than most of the big flagships. A mid-range Pro “South Africans lead dynamic lives and their smartphones should do the same,” said Bradley Young, head of retail at Oppo SA. “With the A6 Pro 5G, we are delivering a device that lasts longer, performs better and inspires confidence in every moment. It is designed for people who want a phone…

If you’ve eagerly awaited the arrival of HDR10+ on Disney+, you’d best have one of Samsung’s TVs fixed to the wall if you hope to use it anytime soon. Disney is already late to add HDR10+ tech to its streaming service, which several of its competitors already support, including Netflix, and now it’s opted for a more gradual rollout. Disney+ plus HDR10+ equals? While Samsung won’t retain exclusive rights to use the HDR10+ standard for Disney+, it’s not yet clear when other TV brands will get some action. Not every title on Disney+ will reap the benefits, either. Around 1,000…

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…