Author: Trent Meikle

In the case of Amazon’s Fire tablet line-up, the retail overlord has stubbornly stuck to Fire OS — an offshoot of Android — ever since it debuted back in 2011. No longer, according to a recent report from Reuters, which reckons Amazon will finally make the leap to proper Android and ditch Fire OS altogether. ‘Bout time, amirite? After years of fending off customer complaints related to the homegrown operating system, it seems Amazon has decided it isn’t worth the hassle, with plans to release a new high-end Fire device sometime next year. The project is known internally as Kittyhawk,…

You know Beyerdynamic, even if you’ve never had the pleasure of slinging one of its headsets around your neck. That might have something to do with our recent reviews of the company’s latest and greatest. Either way, it explains our hype for Beyer’s new MMX 150 and MMX 230 wireless gaming headsets. A Beyerdynamic duo Announced at Gamescom, Beyerdynamic grabbed the opportunity 335,000 folks all cloistered together under one roof in Germany presented, and unveiled these new gamer-centric cans. There’s the MMX 150, featuring a detachable mic. Stretch that budget, and the flagship MMX 230 will throw in features like…

Still without a YouTube Premium subscription? After Google recently raised prices in South Africa, we can’t blame you — even the plan is still one of the better value-for-money services out there at R82/m. But your stubbornness is about to pay off. YouTube’s non-paying users are receiving a once-Premium feature: downloads. Feel good to be free It’s a change for the platform’s free users that’s gone mostly under the radar. Perhaps YouTube’s free users were too afraid to bring what might be a mistake to YouTube’s attention. That was until a Reddit user (u/Dude_Who_Does_Things) accidentally clicked the download button on…

If you’re one of the many millions who picked up a Nintendo Switch 2 since it launched in June and – like us – are trapped in perpetual fear of damaging that display (it is a 7.9in thing of beauty) or any part of the console, really, there are a couple of Switch 2-compatible solutions out there. One of those is Jsaux’s Split Protective Case, a relatively affordable option that has spent the last couple of weeks defending our Switch 2. And defend it has. It’s not that the Switch 2 is a dainty little fairy that needs constant looking after,…

If you’re tired of all the queues and are still stubbornly ignoring Checkers’ fantastic Sixty60 app, the retail outlet has unveiled the Xpress trolley in-store, dubbing it the country’s “first smart shopping trolley, pioneering a major step towards a frictionless, technology-led in-store experience.” Checkers queues begone! https://youtu.be/HOuBEw1mhjA Setting aside the fact that Chamberlains has had ‘smart trolleys’ for some time already, the idea is still an excellent one if you prefer to do your shopping in person (and at a Checkers store). Rather than filling your trolley and standing in a line, the new Xpress trolley allows users to scan…

Gamescom’s Opening Night Live, hosted by the one and only Geoff Keighley, has officially come and gone. If you didn’t have the energy to sit through two-plus hours’ worth of trailers, bad jokes, and a live performance from Clair Obscur Expedition 33, then we’ve got you covered with all the biggest reveals and announcements from last night’s showing. There’s a whole lot to cover, so without any further ado… Hollow Knight: Silksong https://youtu.be/pnH9UcLZpbM It finally happened. Hollow Knight: Silksong — the highly sought-after metroidvania sequel — finally got its chance to shine after six long years. Kinda. Only a few hours before…

Ever wanted to send your loved ones a heartfelt text, brimming with compassion and care, but couldn’t find the right words? WhatsApp’s new AI-powered writing suggestions feature — which is now reportedly available in beta — probably can’t replicate exactly what you were going for, but it’ll take a crack at it for you. Yay? If the idea of outsourcing even the most human of tasks to an artificial intelligence doesn’t frighten you even a little, you’ll be glad to know the feature, dubbed ‘Private Writing Help Assistant’ has wormed its way onto the 25.22.10.74 iOS beta through the TestFlight…

Spotify will do just about anything to avoid doing any work that would see lossless audio added to the streaming platform. Right on cue, as though to prove our point, Spotify today announced a new update that’ll give users the ability to get some serious in-app mixing done on the fly. Okay, maybe not that serious. Still, it’s a cool addition. These changes aren’t just building upon the app’s existing AI DJ, X, but rather about adding a new tool that’ll give users the ability to fiddle with their tunes while they’re playing them. The update is set to arrive…

After skipping a Fan Edition for the Galaxy Buds 2, Samsung has introduced its new Galaxy Buds 3 FE, which ditches the more traditional Samsung look for a stem design that screams ‘Apple’. As you might’ve expected, it’s brought Galaxy AI along for the ride, alongside the usual upgrades to audio and battery. The Buds 3 FE are scheduled to arrive in the US on 4 September 2025, with no word on a local launch yet. There will probably be a local launch. The Apple doesn’t fall far from the stem Handling the audio side are 11 mm drivers Samsung reckons…

The Central Energy Fund (CEF) has blessed the country with new mid-month fuel price data, cementing the idea that South African motorists will be paying less at the pumps this September than they did throughout August. The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) will officially adjust fuel prices in early September. Diesel is back, baby Until then, it’s worth remembering that the CEF’s figures below (captured 15 August) are not set in stone, even if they do paint a prettier picture than last week’s snapshot, with a roughly 40c price decrease expected for diesel drivers this September. Petrol drivers,…